Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono
by Gadalla Rune
Summary: Fear breeds Hatred. Hatred breeds Darkness. Darkness breeds Evil... and Evil? Evil breeds Power. The Sound of her voice, a Curse of a snake, the Forbidden Kinjutsu of a greedy man. 5 years old, a young Naruto has no idea what he's getting into...
1. Akebono

**READ THIS IMPORTANT NOTICE OR SUFFER!** ^_^

**IMPORTANT NOTICE! (01/12/2011):** I AM UPDATING CURSED DEMON! Alright, now that I have your attention, I am indeed going to be updating Cursed Demon, which now as you can see has been renamed Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono. I have gone back and done some minor editing, revision and changes to the Four chapters already posted, and will be posting the nearly complete Chapter 5 by the end of this week.

If you are wondering about the new name added on to the Cursed Demon title, is in fact due to this story being shortened into a Part 1 of 3 that will compose the entirety of the Cursed Demon story. Part 1 and Part 2 are will in fact be more like Prologues to Part 3 (the main part of the story) and both Parts 1 and 2 will be shorter than Part 3 by far, each representing about a 2 year period in Naruto's life. They are both their own stories due to the two completely circumstances Naruto finds himself in. Part 3 is going to much much longer and will be an entirely new circumstance for this new Naruto. Don't worry, I'm not getting rid of any pairings I've had planned, matter of fact not too much had to be changed in the first 4 chapters at all. They fit in just fine with my grand plot.

So I would appreciate for all of you who have read Cursed Demon before, to do so again, due to some of the minor changes I've instilled, I believe you will find it a better read and some of the extra stuff I added to be intriguing.

**IMPORTANT NOTICE! (01/12/2011):**

* * *

**Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono** 怪物曙

Chapter 1: Akebono 曙

_-By Gadalla Rune-_

October 10th. All of Konohagakure was celebrating. There were fireworks, parties and large groups of people walking arm in arm down the streets, apparently drunk. All was good in the world, all were happy.

All, except one boy.

He never understood why everyone could be so happy on his own birthday, and at the same time he could be so… sad. Lonely was more the word for it, and an utter depression that he had felt ever since he could remember feeling emotion. The boy looked up as the sky was illuminated in brilliant showers of green, blue, purple and white… never red or yellow though, never those. He liked watching the sky erupt in the glowing sparkling colors, but they seemed to be the only good thing about that day and night.

It had taken him awhile, but after watching the other kids he realized that everyone got presents on their birthdays. They would get something special that would make them smile and jump around… make them happy. He had never gotten a present before, except when the old man gave him his yearly pay and a dresser full of new clothes, and the one time someone had left a pair of goggles at his doorstep with his name on them. Those weren't on his birthday though, and weren't really presents, not in his opinion.

He felt lonelier on his birthday than any other day of the year. He had watched kids during their birthdays, watched them play with multitudes of friends… even kids who weren't friends and had just been invited there by the parents. He wished he could be those kids. He wished he had parents also. He wished for so many things.

But worst of all, his birthday was when all the adults got worse. They would stare at him with such cold and hateful eyes; He didn't know what he had done to deserve it. They would curse him, swear at him, and if he didn't run away, they would chase him; usually waving something hard or pointy as if to beat him with it.

The one time he didn't run away a drunken man had swung on him with a wooden baseball bat, knocking him to the ground where he had proceeded to continue beating him, trying to kill him. But it had suddenly stopped, and all Naruto could remember after that was waking up in a hospital room

The drunks were the most dangerous; he knew that, so he hid usually. In the past he would return home where he would find his apartment trashed and ripped apart. With the old man's money he was able to replace everything, but that never seemed to change what he felt afterwards. So, he hid here on a roof somewhere near the Hokage monument. He felt safe here... almost.

Down, several stories below the boy, he could here them searching for him.

"Where sha hell ish that Ushumaki trash!" The man was just more than a little drunk.

Naruto heard answering yells and growls, wondering where he was. Every year they did this. The adults who ran the orphanage would kick him out when the mobs came and yell at him to draw them away. He would run back to the door and bang on it, crying for help as he was pulled away by rough hands that smelled like alcohol. By the time the mob had worked themselves up enough to start beating him they were usually stopped by men that he recognized to be ninja, though they always wore animal masks.

When he had turned five and had the old man give him his own place it had only gotten worse. That year he had barely escaped his room and onto his roof. From then on he stayed hidden and away during his birthday.

"I bet you heesh on sha roofsh!" This was another, yet equally drunk, man. Naruto didn't bother looking; they probably couldn't climb up any roof without falling on their asses anyway.

Naruto glared at nothing in particular as he hugged his knees tighter. He was an academy student now, was one ever since he started living on his own, been one for three years. He was going to be a ninja, and show all those assholes, _all of them_ ,that he was no loser… though, he wasn't sure that was the reason they hated him. He didn't know why everyone hated him. Even the kids at school either ignored him with a good imitation of their parents or barely tolerated him, calling him names like 'shorty' and '_dobe'. _

Now, a ninja student for three years… and there was nothing he could do. If they ever found him he wouldn't be able to outrun grown men. He could hide, sure, if he could get away in time. He had no illusions who would win in a fight between him and one of those drunkerns. He was an eight year old boy, malnourished, and barely able to use weapons of any sort against any one man who was more than twice his height, weight and strength. He _was_ able to buy a couple of blunt practice kunai and shuriken for twice the price of real ones. An outrageous price, but he had paid nonetheless. He was lucky he got them at all, the shopkeeper had been about to throw him out. Of course, blunt practice weapons weren't going to do him a whole lot of good against men intent on hurting him.

Naruto got up slowly, time to move to a different roof.

"Where do you think you're going, _demon shit_?"

Naruto's heart skipped a beat. A cold ball of ice formed in the pit of his stomach as he turned around slowly. Behind him were three men, or almost men, more like older teenagers who've almost hit twenty. They wore the vest of regular chuunin-rank ninja and each had a kunai in his hand. Naruto took a single step back.

Neither one of them was drunk in the slightest.

* * *

Yakushi Kabuto sped through the night, jumping from rooftop to rooftop. The village he was supposedly aligned to had given him, and his other two genin teammates, patrol duty. It was basic D-rank mission criteria, though, he had used the time to go examine the new Chuunin Finals battle-arena that was being constructed. With all the celebration going on, no one was bothering to guard the nearly finished complex. The plans and blue-prints he had gathered would please his _real_ master greatly.

Kabuto mused to himself about the lax security of Konohagakure during this particular time of year. You would think that after the catastrophe of the Kyuubi no Kitsune nearly decimating the village and losing their precious Yondaime Hokage – arguably the strongest ninja of his time – that the village would use this day to mourn. But, it seemed they felt that celebrating the defeat of the Nine-tails and the noble sacrifice of the Hokage was the best way to show remembrance for those who were killed on that fateful night.

"It was YOUR fault you little SHIT!"

Kabuto paused and stopped on the next roof, his musings interrupted for the moment. Looking to his left he saw a peculiar scene unfolding before him. Three men, chuunin by their vests, had cornered a single boy on a rooftop; a mere two streets from him.

"It was your fault my parents died!" the man, who was apparently leading the assault, pulled out a second kunai to compliment the one he was already holding. Kabuto noted the other two were holding kunai as well. "This night, your dead DEMON! Do you hear me? DEAD! No one's going to know, no one's going to care, and NO ONE'S going to come and help you!"

Kabuto raised a single interested eyebrow. _Demon? Could it be…?_ As the three men advanced on the frightened boy, Kabuto frowned and thought as quickly as his relatively high IQ would allow.

There were a lot of options to this little scenario, if he thought the boy was who he thought he was, that is. Of course, who else would be called 'demon' in _this_ village of all places? He had always wanted to get close to the boy and converse with him on his little 'condition'; but that senile old man, claiming to be a Hokage, had forbidden anyone from speaking to the boy of it, or mentioning it to their own children. No other ninja were allowed to approach him either except for academy teachers and ANBU who were responsible for watching him, not until he graduated at least.

Kabuto supposed they were good rules, ones that would ensure that the boy would live long enough to graduate. Of course, if the man wasn't so senile maybe the villagers and his own ninja would actually listen to him for once. He had heard plenty of second hand accounts of men boasting of how they had chased the little 'demon-child' away.

Kabuto crouched down, preparing to leap if he felt the need to. _He isn't particularly excelling in any part of his ninja training. The Uchiha clan's newest little genius seems to be taking up the spotlight. _Kabuto 'tsked', the Uchihas, a corrupt clan that had been wiped out three years ago by one of their own, leaving only little Sasuke as the sole survivor. Him and his older brother of course.

Kabuto didn't really care for the Uchiha heir, the boy was a gloomy brat in his opinion, and too stuck up for his own good. _Maybe the reason Naruto isn't excelling is because he isn't receiving the right environments or the right chances?_ With the amount of potential the boy had it shouldn't of been that hard of a decision.

_And of course, tonight his ANBU escort probably isn't around with how far this scenario seems to have escalated. _Kabuto made up his mind in a split-second as the three men leapt towards the boy while he vainly tried to turn and run away.

* * *

Naruto turned to run when the men leapt at him, murder apparent in their eyes... and stumbled and tripped. He hit the roof tiles, slamming his chin painfully, and knew it was the end. He covered his head with his hands and curled into a little ball, praying to whatever gods that were out there that it wouldn't be too painful before he died.

Nothing happened for one second. Two seconds. Three. Five. Ten.

_What are they doing? Waiting to see if I'll cry?_ The thing was he already was crying; he had been ever since the man had called him a demon. He didn't know why people called him that, but it hurt to be hated enough to be called something so evil.

After his sobs had died down, and nearly two minutes had passed, Naruto slowly lifted his hands to peer between them to see why they hadn't attacked him yet. His fear was jumping around in his stomach still, like boiling grease when it begins to bubble and snap, but he forced himself to look anyways. What he saw did nothing to alleviate his fear, but more than anything confused him.

Before him stood apparently another ninja with his back turned to him, though he didn't wear a vest like the others. Blue and gray loose-fitting clothes draped his lean frame, black sandals on his feet.

Naruto could see that his silvery-grey hair reflected the fireworks as they continued to erupt throughout the night sky. Though, when the new shinobi turned to face him he didn't look old at all. In fact, he was young, only six or so years older than Naruto himself, and he wore circular glasses that hid his eyes through the multi-colored reflections of the fireworks. At this mysterious ninja's feet lay the bodies of the three men that had tried to attack him. They weren't moving.

The new ninja took a step towards the fallen boy, but stopped when the blond flinched at the movement. Kabuto sighed and put on his most pleasant smile, the one that everyone seemed to see him as likeable and innocent for, and slowly crouched down, resting his elbows on his knees. "Hello there. I'm Yakushi Kabuto. I'm sorry about them…" Kabuto jerked his thumb behind him at the three bodies. "They won't be bothering you again, okay?" Naruto just stared at him, uncomprehending. Kabuto just smiled pleasantly, shrugged and stood up as if to go. Before he had even turned around all the way though…

"Wait!"

The cry was half sob half plea, and Kabuto couldn't help but feel pity for the wretched thing. He couldn't possibly fathom what it would be like for everyone to hate you, but he did know what it was like to grow up without a real family, and this kid had had none at all.

Kabuto turned around slowly, a curious and expectant look plastered on his face. "Yes...?"

Naruto had started getting up but froze when Kabuto turned around. The blond bit his lip, looking anywhere but at Kabuto. He didn't want to say something wrong to make him angry at him, but he had to know, "Why…why did you help me?"

Kabuto frowned playfully, "Why, whatever could you mean Naruto-kun? You were in danger from these fools here…" Kabuto nudged a corpse with his toe, "… and I came to help. Why wouldn't I have helped you?" He was going to have to dispose of the bodies soon, but that was less important than this at the moment.

Naruto, for the moment, ignored how the gray-haired ninja new his name, "Because everyone here hates me." The words were bitter, and full of self-hatred.

Naruto suddenly felt hands on him, helping him up so he was standing. The taller Kabuto crouched down again so he was level with the blonde's eyes. "I don't hate you Naruto-kun, and personally I don't think its right that everyone else hates you."

The boy merely frowned, confused at these words. No one had _ever_ said anything remotely like that to him before. "Y-you do?" at Kabuto's assuring nod, Naruto felt himself smiling, and tears started slowly falling down his cheeks. "Y-you really mean it?… _(sniff)_… you aren't just trying to trick me?"

Kabuto smiled warmly, "Naruto-kun, I swear to you, on my _nindou_, that I meant everything I said. You are more than you know, more than this village will ever realize. You deserve so much better, you deserve more than anyone, especially that Uchiha Sasuke."

Naruto visibly brightened at the mention that he was better than the annoying Uchiha. But he still seemed slightly embarrassed and uncomfortable with someone telling him that they actually thought something good of him. He couldn't help but mumble about how he should probably get home and fix his room, and whether he was going to have any ramen left for breakfast.

Kabuto kept smiling and placed his hand gently on Naruto's shoulder, "Since you look hungry, how about I go get you a nice steamy bowel of ramen? I hear that its your favorite. The treat will be on me."

Naruto suddenly turned from a not-so-certain boy, into a bouncing kid with a major addiction to over-dosages of sodium and the ramen noodles found in it. "Really? Your treat? There's this one place called Ichiraku! They don't treat me bad there; they just treat me like the rest of the customers. Come on! I'll show you the way!"

Kabuto only smiled as he pushed his glasses back up his nose with one of his fingers, he already knew where Ichiraku's was. He had observed the boy there on a number of occasions. Nonetheless he allowed the now hyper-active blond to lead him to the ramen stand.

He quickly whispered into the radio strapped to his neck, informing his teammates, Yoroi and Misumi, to dispose of the bodies before an ANBU patrol arrived.

* * *

On the way there Kabuto performed a relatively easy genjutsu that would fool all passersby that saw them that they were just two normal revelers wandering the streets during the largest celebration of the year. Good thing he did to. Away from the dark allies where Naruto usually hid, the city streets were full to bursting and the taverns and restaurants were as well; almost no one was home this night. The villagers partied and even ninjas who didn't have a mission at the time joined in the revelry. Some ninjas like Kabuto and his team were given general patrol duty since Konohagakure was exposed to any attack from the outside during the celebration. Though, the threat really wasn't that imminent, so low-ranking genin usually got the job.

Ichiraku Ramen Stand was one of the few eateries that didn't have a large amount of people crowding it's seats. After all, Ichiraku's was only a ramen stand, and most who wanted to party this night went either to expensive restaurants, or to bars and taverns to get drunk. Regardless, there was still a couple of customers buying some of their favorite ramen. Kabuto dropped the genjutsu as they approached the small restaurant.

Naruto sat down in the same seat he always sat and as usual, instead of waiting for his service, "Hey! Jiisan! Your best customer is back!" Naruto grinned widely, swinging his feet idly a few feet from the floor.

Ichiraku, a large gentle-faced man came from the back wiping down a glass cup with a white towel, wearing his ever present apron, "Ah, Naruto. I thought you'd be in bed already." Ichiraku looked to Kabuto who was apparently in Naruto's company, "But I suppose you got yourself a babysitter to make sure you didn't get yourself into any trouble. What can I get both of you?"

Naruto squinted his eyes and stuck out his lower lip at being told he needed a babysitter, but nonetheless he ordered in an eager voice, "I'll have some miso pork as usual!" Naruto pointed over to Kabuto and covered his mouth with his hand as if sharing a secret with Ichiraku, "He's paying for all of it." The whisper was none too quiet.

Ichiraku gave the silver-haired shinobi a pitying look and Kabuto had to wonder if he had brought enough money. He had seen Naruto eat on occasion. The boy seemed to have a black-hole situated within the bowels of his stomach. Either way, he would pay. Kabuto had never broken a promise to anyone (when he had truly meant it), and he wasn't going to start now. It was part of his nindou. He smiled his usually innocent smile at Ichiraku and ordered, "I'll have the same as Naruto-kun here, but heavy on the vegetables, please." Kabuto couldn't understand how Naruto could get any nourishment from the salty noodles without any sources of vitamins and minerals in it. Unless you counted sodium, of course, lots and lots of sodium.

Ichiraku nodded and turned to head back through the door and into the kitchen in the rear of the store. "Ayame! Two miso porks! One with heavy veggies!"

The answering call came from a girl who, from what Kabuto had seen of her, was close to his age; the daughter of Ichiraku, "Yes, Otosan!"

Kabuto turned to Naruto as he excitedly swung his feet. The blond was probably thinking of what his next ten or twenty bowels of ramen were going to be exactly. Kabuto sighed, this may lighten his wallet a good bit, but this was worth it by far. Not like he didn't have more money anyways. "Naruto-kun, I was hoping to talk to you about something." Kabuto performed another elementary genjutsu that would make onlookers believe they were sitting quietly waiting for their food, or eating it when they got it.

Naruto turned to look at Kabuto, curiosity written plainly across his face. He still wasn't used to someone treating him so nicely and actually wanting to talk to him, much less with him. "What is it, Kabuto-sama?"

Kabuto grinned at the title, "To you I'm just Kabuto or Kabuto-san, Naruto-kun."

Naruto nodded, "Okay then, what is it Kabuto-san?"

"It's about the villagers and how they treat you, Naruto-kun." Kabuto watched Naruto's reaction as the boy went from excited to slightly crestfallen. "Naruto-kun, you don't deserve such treatment from all the villagers, especially from the other ninja and the other children your age."

Naruto shrugged, becoming more and more dejected as the seconds went by. "Everyone hates me… I don't know what I did to deserve it, but I must of done something. Besides, not everyone is like that; Ichiraku likes me and actually lets me buy his food at the same price everyone else buys it; and the old man treats me nicely to."

Kabuto sighed, putting just a tad bit of exasperation into it, "Naruto, Ichiraku didn't live here when everyone started hating you, and he only treats you the way he does because you eat more than ten customers combined. As for the Hokage, he only treats you that way because its his job and he's scared of you. Even if it were true that they actually liked you, that's only two people out of thousands, Naruto-kun."

Naruto was now so deflated that he wasn't even looking at Kabuto, instead he was fiddling with the wood grain on the restaurant counter and staring at nothing in particular. "Scared of me? Why?"

From Naruto's tone of voice, Kabuto could tell that the blond was beginning to believe him. It wasn't that hard, everyone already hated him; it wasn't a far leap to assume that Ichiraku and the Hokage weren't that nice after all. _Just a few white lies and twists to the truth and he's ready to consider anything I offer._ "Yes, Naruto-kun, the Hokage and everyone else in this village is scared of you. Because you see, its not what you did that the villagers hate you, its what you _are_."

Naruto looked up finally, confused. "What I am? What am I that's so scary? And why does everyone hate me for it?"

Kabuto could feel the edge of anger creeping into the boys voice. Ichiraku set down both their bowels in front of them and left for the kitchen with a quick "Enjoy!" Kabuto ignored his ramen for the moment. He had the boy's rapt attention and he wasn't going to lose it. "Because, you're special, Naruto-kun. You are capable of so much. So, naturally, everyone is afraid of you and what you can do, and I wouldn't be surprised if they were slightly jealous either. You have the ability to be one of the greatest ninja in this village and no one wants to give you the chance because they're scared of you and what you might be able to do."

Naruto frowned, almost believing, almost not, "I don't feel that special."

Kabuto smiled and let some of the eagerness show in his face and voice, "Tell me Naruto, is there _anything_ that makes you different? Anything at all, even the smallest little thing."

Naruto screwed up his face, trying to think of anything that was different about him from the other kids. It only took a moment before he started remembering how many times he got hurt.

Kabuto watched as Naruto's face went from thinking to wonderment, then to excitement, "I know what it is!"

Kabuto waited patiently for Naruto to explain. Of course, he already knew what it was, more than Naruto actually, but he needed the blond to realize how he was different from everyone else on his own.

Naruto hesitated only a moment. Kabuto didn't seem to hate him, even though he was different, so he might as well tell him. "I… I used to watch the other kids at school and at the playgrounds. They sometimes got hurt, like a scraped knee or something. Once I watched a boy break his leg when he jumped from the swing. They would come back the next day, with bandages on their scrapes, and the boy with a broken leg came back with a cast. He told all the other kids that he had to stay in the cast for six weeks before his bones healed."

Naruto hesitated again, but plowed on, "I used to get scrapes all the time when running away from the adults, usually when they chased me from the stores or from the playground, and once a man hit me with a baseball bat. I'm not sure but I think he broke my ribs… every time no one came to help me or give me a bandage, except those masked ninja, but they just made sure I wasn't dieing or something. I didn't need it, though. The next day I would be as good as new, not hurt at all. Even when my ribs were broken, the next morning I was just fine."

Naruto frowned, thinking about that, and suddenly got angry, "Is _that_ why everyone hates me! Because I don't get hurt like they do?"

Kabuto smiled proudly and nodded, "Yes, Naruto, that is why they hate you. You can't get hurt like everyone else because you have something very special inside you that no one else has. They fear you for it because you're different, because they don't have it, and probably because some of them wish they had it to, but never can."

Kabuto smiled inwardly as Naruto clenched his fists in anger, then suddenly relaxed, crestfallen and dejected once again. "No one here will ever like me will they? They'll always hate me or fear me, even the old man…"

Kabuto felt his pulse quicken, he had to strike quickly now, he had to strike hard and true.

"Yes, Naruto. They will _always_ hate you here. To them, you will _always_ be the 'demon-child'." Kabuto's smile changed to one of triumph as the already depressed Naruto became even more so. As the first tear burned a wet line down Naruto's face Kabuto struck again, but this time, in a different way.

"But I know somewhere that's different…"

Naruto looked up so quickly that he almost gave himself whiplash, his wide-eyed stare riveted on Kabuto's face. "What do you mean different?"

Kabuto relaxed his muscles and mentally slowed his pulse, he couldn't get too excited now, the boy was all ready to be convinced. Now, all he had to do was convince him. "A place that no one here knows about, a place where you'll be welcomed, Naruto-kun. A place where there are people and children like you. People who were hated by their own villages and clans, who had no one to love them. They are different like you to, not exactly like you, but in their own unique ways that made other people hate them. Even the people there who can be called 'normal' don't hate the ones who are different; everyone has their place there, everyone is happy to be there. They would rather be nowhere else in the world, because there they are accepted and treated as equals."

Naruto's face was one of such wide-eyed wonder that Kabuto almost chuckled, but he quickly got serious again. He could tell the boy was believing everything he said from the way he hung on to every word. Now all Naruto was waiting for was Kabuto to tell him why he was mentioning this. Kabuto hesitated for a moment, but he was so certain of this outcome that he decided to tell the truth. Before he did, though, he strengthened the genjutsu slightly... just in case.

"Naruto, what I'm about to tell you and ask of you will require an answer not at this moment, but by the morning you'll have to tell me your answer."

Naruto looked confused for a moment, but asked something rather intelligent for once, "Okay, but why are you telling me this? If you tell me, I promise to answer your question by the morning."

Kabuto smiled, amused. Everyone treated the boy as a loud idiot, and he did nothing to disabuse everyone of such thoughts. The boy, however, had to be quick-witted and perceptive enough to have survived so long, on his own, in a village that was so hostile towards him. "I'll tell you why Naruto-kun, because mostly I like you and I don't think anyone deserves to hurt someone so special. The reason I'm telling you this, and the reason why I like you, is because I don't really belong to this village."

Naruto's eyes widened for a moment, but he didn't say anything only waited for Kabuto to continue. "Naruto-kun, I am a spy. You know what that is, right? I believe you learned it in your first year of the academy in Basic Shinobi 101. I belong to a different ninja village, known as Otogakure no Sato. The Village Hidden in Sound, its north of here but not too far away, and so far, no one else knows about it but the ninja loyal to it. I work for a man like you, Naruto-kun. He was once a Konoha shinobi, just like you and me, but they didn't give him what he deserved. So, he left and formed his own ninja village where he began to take in those who were treated wrongly, because they were different and more special than others."

Naruto looked like a little child hearing the grandest fairy-tale of them all, "Who… who is he?"

Kabuto got close, and acted as if he was whispering to the boy, though no one could hear them anyways. "He is the Otokage. A great man, a genius who would've been the Hokage if someone else didn't take it from him. You would've been treated fairly and with much attention if he had become head of this village, for he recognizes the potential in others and brings it out of them, making them the best they can be. And most of all he makes sure they get the respect and love they deserve. His name is Orochimaru-sama, the great Snake Sannin. One of the most powerful ninja in the world."

Naruto was leaning on the edge of his seat, looking to all the world like a bundle of fireworks ready to shoot into the sky. "And your question that I have to answer now that you told me this?" the hope in the blonde's voice was almost too much. Kabuto would so hate to shatter such hope.

Kabuto sat up straight, causing the boy to lean even more towards him, "I want to know that if you are willing and prepared to leave this place, Naruto-kun. To come with me to Otogakure. There you'll become an Oto ninja, any ties you have to this village will be cut. Everyone, including Ichiraku and especially the Hokage, will be your enemy the day you leave. You'll never be able to come back, Naruto-kun. Do you understand what I'm asking you?"

Naruto nodded slowly, full understanding of the situation dawning on him. "Yes I understand, Kabuto-san."

Kabuto smirked, "And your answer? Or do you need to wait still?"

Naruto jumped down off his seat and grabbed his ramen bowel. He was eager with his next words, "I'll be ready in the morning." As Naruto left he turned around just long enough to look Kabuto in the eye, "I won't tell anyone about you, and remember, you're paying!" before he turned to go though he said one last thing, "And… and thank you Kabuto-san… for everything."

Kabuto watched the blond disappear around the corner. He had no worries about the blond; the genjutsu wouldn't wear off until the boy got back to his apartments. As Kabuto lost sight of Naruto he deactivated the genjutsu on himself and grabbed his bowel of ramen. He paid the amount for two bowels and exited Ichiraku with a smile on his face. He was returning home tomorrow, wouldn't his master be surprised with what he brought in. And _happily_ surprised at that.

* * *

It was morning of the next day as three shapes sped from rooftop to rooftop.

"Are you sure about this Kabuto? If he decides not to go you could seriously jeopardize our position here."

Kabuto rolled his eyes; Akado Yoroi was having trouble believing that he had convinced the 'demon-child' of Konoha to defect to Otogakure. Kabuto only turned his head to regard the usually quiet man for only a second as they leapt, form roof to roof, towards Naruto's apartment. The black glasses and the face mask hid his expression, but Kabuto knew he was angry. Yoroi, and the other third of their team, Tsurugi Misumi, truly disliked it when Kabuto went and did things on his own without consulting with them.

"Do not worry Yoroi-san, he has already decided to leave and he won't be changing his mind, I can assure you of that." The two masked men were going to have to deal with it anyways, they may be four years older than him, but he was the leader of this group and far stronger than either of them.

Misumi merely grunted something that could've been agreement. He too didn't talk too much, but behind his round glasses, much like Kabuto's, the silver-haired spy could tell he to was angry as well. _Oh well, as long as they don't complain too much they can be as angry as they want._

It didn't take long for the trio to reach one of the more dejected areas of Konohagakure. Here was Naruto's apartment, a ratty thing in need of repair and maintenance. Kabuto grimaced in disgust at the sight of the buildings and the perpetual amount of garbage in the streets. _No matter, Naruto-kun will be finding all he deserves once we reach home._

As they landed on a roof next to the apartment building where Naruto lived, Misumi pointed down towards the street. "Hey, that blond kid down there with the backpack, that's him right?"

Kabuto looked in the direction his teammate was pointing and saw that Naruto was sitting on the stoop of his apartment building, a single backpack held in one hand. "Yes, that's him. Come, lets retrieve our quarry before we leave this 'lovely' place." Lovely was said with a hint of disdain and disgust, and pertained not to just Naruto's neighborhood, but all of Konohagakure.

Kabuto used his senses, scanning the area and assuring himself that no ANBU or other ninja were present before leading his teammates towards their prize.

As they jumped down, landing lightly a few feet from Naruto, the blond jumped up at the sight of them and ran towards Kabuto, slowing down when he noticed Yoroi and Misumi. "Who are they? Are they from Otogakure to?"

Yoroi flashed Kabuto a dangerous look. Apparently, he was not pleased at not being told that the silver-haired Sound Nin had informed Naruto of Oto and the fact that they were indeed spies. Kabuto merely waved a dismissive hand at Yoroi, no doubt pissing him off even more, and turned back to the small boy before them. "Yes, Naruto-kun, they're from Otogakure as well, and part of my team. Did you think about my request some more last night? Did you change your mind about anything?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nope! I definitely want to go with you, Kabuto-san!" The smile slipped a little as the boy's face became grim, "I hate it here, and I believe you about Oto. I want to go there and meet Orochimaru."

Kabuto grinned and ruffled the boys hair playfully, he had not doubt the boy barely got any sleep last night from excitement, "I thought you'd say that. Although, from now on, Naruto-kun, it would be best to refer to _our_ Otokage as Orochimaru-_sama_. He tends to be a stickler when it comes to formalities."

Naruto brightened at the reference that he was now a sound nin, and that Orochimaru was now _his_ Otokage as well. "Orochimaru-sama, gotcha!"

Misumi came forward, apparently warming up to the boy a little bit, "Well, I'm glad you decided to say yes Naruto." otherwise he would have been tempted to kill him on the spot, "You'll be very welcomed back in Sound Village." The masked man turned around and crouched down, "You can't travel as fast as us, so you'll be riding on my back from here to sound village. It will be faster this way and will only take us a few days to get there."

Naruto hesitated only long enough for Kabuto to nod his assurance before climbing onto Misumi's back. The masked-man wrapped his arms behind him to support the blond and had Yoroi take Naruto's backpack. Kabuto nodded his approval at the arrangement and turned west. "Alright, or destination is the west gate, and then we'll circle around and head north. I'll be in charge of the genjutsu so the guards don't notice us."

In truth, no one would realize they were gone till it was too late. Well, at least notice that Naruto was gone anyway. Kabuto and his team supposedly had a 'mission' to the west and were expected to be leaving this morning. But since Naruto rarely showed up to the academy anyways, it would be several days before that old man known as the Hokage noticed he was missing. When he finally got a search party assembled, Naruto would be far from Konoha's grasp. In more ways than one.

Yoroi and Tsurugi nodded their assent and as one the trio leapt upwards and onto the rooftops.

* * *

Naruto had almost yelled at that first leap, he had never jumped so high before. He had always _climbed_ to the rooftops, but this was… _exhilarating._ He got used to it quickly, but each time Misumi jumped, his stomach would still try to flutter out of his chest as he saw the streets pass by several stories below.

It hadn't taken long for them to reach the west gate. Here, they merely walked by the guard station and out through the open gates of Konoha. Naruto had expected them to ask something along the lines of 'Hey! Where are you taking the demon-boy?' But then he remembered Kabuto had mentioned something about using a genjutsu. They were hard to understand in class, but Naruto had learned enough that a genjutsu affected people's mind in a certain way within a certain distance of the user, and sometimes a genjutsu could be 'attached' to a certain target. Naruto supposed Kabuto had made the guards think he was an extra heavy backpack or something like that.

Either way, no sooner were they out through the gates, than they were jumping into the trees and along the massive branches that made up Fire country's forests. They only traveled west for a minute or two then Kabuto veered left and they were suddenly heading north.

A couple hours passed before anyone spoke again.

"So, kid, I can only assume that you are excited about leaving behind that wretched Konoha and coming with us to Oto." This was from Yoroi, who finally seemed to be making an attempt at talking to the blond.

Naruto grinned, flashing teeth, "I'm not excited. I'm _Super_-Excited! I can't wait to get there!"

Yoroi's eyes crinkled around his black sunglasses as he smirkd behind his mask at the childish term. He usually didn't like kids, but this one seemed alright, plus he couldn't help but feel some pity for the hyperactive blond. He was pretty much the villages savior and was treated the worse out of everyone there. "Well, that's good to hear. But are you sure you're not nervous or anything?"

Naruto's excitement died down a good bit at that question, and he began to study the knot that tied Tsurugi's hitai-ate to his head. "Yeah… I am. I'm excited and all, but I don't really know how everyone is going to treat me…"

Yoroi chuckled, "Don't worry kid, you'll like it there, I'm sure of it." And with that he moved to the front with Kabuto to converse about something.

Misumi turned his head to look at Naruto over his shoulder, "Don't worry Naruto, I'm sure you're bound to make some friends when we get there." Misumi usually didn't like kids either, but the blond was difficult to dislike for some reason that he couldn't place.

Naruto nodded. He was excited about leaving and about everything that Kabuto, Misumi, and Yoroi had told him. But he was more than a little nervous, something caused by the hope that was bubbling inside him. It would break him now if everyone at Otogakure treated him the same as they did in Konoha.

The rest of the journey that day was made in silence. They stopped in a rather large tree, and made a quick camp. The men slept in a triangle, with Naruto in the middle, one of them awake at all times to keep watch. It made him feel safe, a feeling that was all too rare for the blond. He slept with almost no nightmares that night.

The next few days were spent that way. Rising to the sun to travel, and then setting up camp at sundown. During the day all three men would take turns quizzing Naruto about what he had learned in the academy. Naruto began to enjoy the questions, because if he didn't know the answer they wouldn't yell at him; instead, one of them would inform him of what it was, and sometime during the next day they would ask him again to see if he remembered.

Before they went to bed every night, Kabuto would have Naruto go through his basic kata and jutsu, making small comments and adjustments here and there. Naruto was horrible at the Bunshin no Jutsu, but Kabuto made him do it over and over again, until he could finally make at least one viable Bunshin. Still Kabuto was pretty sure that it would never be a useful jutsu for boy, and he'd probably never be able to make more than one or two.

Naruto had shown them his Oiroke no Jutsu the second night and had gotten nose-bleeds out of all three. After Kabuto had stopped his impressive flow of blood, he seemed to be amazed that an eight year old boy could know so much about the female anatomy; and then, in a much sterner tone, warned Naruto against using that jutsu. At least not too often. Naruto's taijutsu was almost non-existent, and Kabuto had to almost re-teach all of the basic kata to the boy.

By the time the forest ended into green plains dotted with monolithic rocks, Naruto felt as if he had learned more during their few days of traveling than he had during his three years in the academy.

That night when Naruto had finished his kata and had gone through his known jutsu, excluding the Oiroke no Jutsu, Kabuto fished out a small scroll from his pack. He removed a small piece of paper with a seal from the scroll and it grew to four times its size in a puff of smoke. Nearly as tall as Naruto himself. The scroll was huge, and Kabuto gave it to Naruto, instructing him to put the seal on it when he was done so it would shrink again and fit in his backpack.

Naruto looked like a child in a candy store who was told he could have any, and as much, candy as he wanted when Kabuto handed him the over-sized scroll. "I took that from the secret vaults just for you Naruto-kun." Naruto didn't seem to hear him, hunkering down to pour over one of the first jutsus on the scroll, 'Kage Bunshin no Jutsu'.

Kabuto grinned at the boys enthusiasm. In fact he had stolen the scroll planning on leaving it around for someone to find, which he did. He later retrieved it from a chuunin a little older than him by the name of Mizuki. The chuunin had given up the scroll without learning anything, in fear that Kabuto would report him. Kabuto had taken back the scroll with a smirk, planning on bringing it back to the vault. He had no doubt that the kinjutsu in the scroll would fester in Mizuki's mind, until he would eventually try to steal it again sometime in the not too distant future.

In all effect it would have caused a bit of chaos, Kabuto's own form of mischief. Which made him not too different from Naruto in that aspect. Though, the blonde's pranks ran to the more comical side than anything else. When Kabuto had met Naruto, however, he had made the decision to keep the scroll. He had released the homing seal on it so that the senile old man couldn't observe whoever had it through his cheap scrying tricks. Kabuto figured Naruto would be one who could master such techniques given time.

"Naruto-kun?" Naruto looked up at Kabuto, distracted for the moment from his reading, "That scroll I stole from the Hokage for you. Its yours to keep. Think of it as a belated birthday gift."

Naruto smiled widely, and then hid his face as he attempted to make it look like he was reading. Kabuto could see the tears falling from the boys face as they made little wet splotches on the thick vellum of the scroll. "Th-thank you Kabuto-san."

Kabuto smiled gently and ruffled the blonde's hair before sitting back against the tree they were resting in, and let Naruto study the scroll as he watched the stars wheel overhead. _I suppose that Mizuki will still try to steal the kinjutsu scroll sometime. Heheh, too bad I won't be there to see his face when he realizes it's already been stolen._

The next day they traveled along the ground, since there weren't that many trees in sight. The land around them was mostly flat land with some soft rolling hills and green grass as far as the eye could see. Instead of forests the ground was dotted with multitudes of rocks jutting out from the ground, some as high as a three-storied house.

Sometime around noon they stopped in front of one particularly large monolith. This one had to be the size of a stadium, classifying it as a good-sized hill.

Kabuto walked up to the smooth surface and seemed to randomly stick both hands on the rock at different points. He then channeled a small amount of chakra into where his hands touched the rock, and then quickly stepped back as the rock face seemed to _open._ The rock split in two revealing two very large, and thick, stone doors that slowly swung open. They made no sound at all, except a strong gust of wind that ruffled their clothes and hair for a moment after they opened all the way. Before them, Naruto could see a set of stairs that led into darkness.

Misumi had set Naruto down and Yoroi had given him his backpack. Both men went into the darkness first. Kabuto turned to the nervous and slightly frightened Naruto, smiling his gentle smile, "Come Naruto-kun, its time to meet your new master." He gestured towards the stairs and the shadows.

Naruto swallowed, and slowly stepped forward into the darkness. Kabuto came behind him and the stone doors swung shut without a sound except some rushing air. They were enveloped in such darkness that Naruto thought he could touch it.

A bluish light appeared behind Naruto illuminating the stairs several feet downwards before fading away into darkness; he could see Misumi and Yoroi's backs as they walked downwards into the shadows. They seemed to know where they were going. Kabuto was the one making the light as pale blue chakra enveloped his one hand, creating a make-shift torch.

Kabuto put his other hand gently on the nervous boy's shoulder and began to lead him down the stairs. Down to his new master.

To his new life.

* * *

**A/N:** Alright this is actually edited and updated, which is what i'm doing with all four chapter's of Cursed Demon before I update with the fifth chapter.

As many of you can see the title has been changed to Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono 怪物曙. Kaibutsu 怪物 means 'monster' while Akebono 曙 means 'begining' or 'dawn' The title of this chapter is also Akebono 曙. I've already decided how this story will be going now, and its actually different from what i had originally planned. Its better in my opinion. But due to how the story plays out Curse Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono will only be part 1 in a 3 part trilogy. This story and Part 2 will be relatively short and will be more of Prologues than anything else. Part 3 will be the main story after the events of Part 1 and 2. So I hope to have chapters 2, 3 and 4 edited, revised and modified by the end of the week where i will then post the new chapter 5.


	2. Kawaru

**Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono **怪物曙

Chapter2: Kawaru 変わる

_-By Gadalla Rune-_

Naruto made his way down the steps with Kabuto leading him from behind. All the while, the pale blue chakra from Kabuto's hand showing the way.

The stone steps were only wide enough for two people to comfortably walk side by side, and as they continued downwards, the stairs began to twist slightly to the left in a wide downward spiral.

It took the better part of fifteen minutes, but they eventually reached the end of the stairs. Yoroi and Misumi were waiting for them in front of a wooden door that looked to be made of heavy stained oak. Both men removed twin keys from their belt pouches, one black, the other white, and inserted them into two keyholes on the walls beside the door. Both counted to three under their breath and twisted the keys at the same time. There was a soft rumbling and the wooden door slid upwards to reveal another, iron door, behind it. The heavy iron door swung outwards slowly with little sound, revealing a soft glow of light beyond the threshold.

With Yoroi and Misumi leading the way, Kabuto and Naruto entered a three way hallway. Each hallway, one to the left, one to the right, and one directly in front of them, were lined with a wooden door every ten to twenty feet. The stone walls were lined with brackets in between each door, which held torches, giving the halls a soft orangey glow. The walls and ceilings were stone as well, ten feet high and ten feet wide, with strange sinuous designs carved into the stone that made Naruto think of snakes for some reason. The design seemed to be repeated down all three hallways and even on the stone floors.

Naruto's curiosity wondered what was behind some of the doors, but before he could ask, Kabuto, who had stopped the chakra flow to his hand, was leading Naruto down the hall that was directly in front of them. Yoroi and Misumi, on the other hand, gave Kabuto brief nods and went down the hallway to the right.

Naruto looked up at Kabuto, curiosity and a bit of nervousness showing through, "Ne, Kabuto-san, are we going to go see Orochimaru-sama?"

Kabuto smiled warmly down at Naruto, his hand gently on the boy's back to keep him moving, "Yes, Naruto-kun. The Otokage does not know that you are here yet, and so I must report to him about you."

Naruto seemed to accept this, though his nervousness only grew. He didn't know what this Snake Sannin guy was going to be like. He just hoped Orochimaru liked him enough to keep him here and didn't kick him out or something.

They walked past many doors, and several interconnecting hallways that crossed their path, but they took none of them; constantly moving forward down the same hallway. Along the way, Naruto saw several men pass them, apparently busy and on their way to do something. All were dressed in gray robes, with black skin-tight garments underneath. Some had thin purple belts of rope wrapped around their waists, and many wore a sort of 'scarf' of tan camouflaged cloth, with a black face mask that covered their head, mouth, and nose, leaving only the eyes visible. All wore a hitai-ate, engraved with what Naruto recognized as a sound note, on various places of their bodies; usually on their foreheads. Most of the men ignored them, seeming to recognize Kabuto on sight and giving a simple nod, while others gave a salute; right fist over their heart. All of those that saluted Kabuto did not wear the purple rope belt. Others, though, looked at Naruto with unrestrained curiosity.

Naruto began to feel a little bit uncomfortable with the stares. They may not be looking at him with the cold hatred that the villagers of Konoha did, but they were staring nonetheless; and Naruto had reason to be wary of those that stared at him.

Kabuto noticed the young boy's anxiety, and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. At the same time, Kabuto gave a pointed look at anyone who couldn't hold back their curiosity, causing said person to scurry along in search of what they were going to do.

Naruto smiled up at Kabuto for the gesture, and received a warm smile in return.

After traversing past six or so crossing hallways, they finally came to what seemed the end of the hallway they were in. A pair of double doors, ten feet across and ten feet high, took up the entire space of the hallway in front of them. The doors were made of burnished bronze that glowed in the soft torchlight. On each door were patterns of snakes, carved, engraved and embossed all over the door's surface. In the middle, the doors met to create the two halves of a yin and yang. This was made of onyx and ivory set into the bronze of the doors.

Kabuto grinned amusedly, "This is probably Orochimaru-sama's favorite base. For the only reason that this one has a rather large throne room for our Otokage." Kabuto chuckled as he looked at the garish doors, "He does seem to enjoy the benefits of being Otokage."

Naruto stared wide eyed at the large doors before him. There was more than one of these places? This place was already bigger than he thought it would be. Were they all underground? Why was this one underground? Were they hiding from Konoha? Something that Naruto wouldn't blame them for in the least. He had so many questions already, but before he could ask them, Kabuto had walked over and pulled on a rather thick golden rope hanging from a hole in the ceiling, off to one side of the door.

There was a soft crash of symbols behind the doors, and a clicking sound, before Naruto heard someone speak, "Come in."

Kabuto walked up to one of the doors and pushed gently. Naruto could see the door was half a foot thick, and it must have weighed a ton or more. Yet, Kabuto seemed to push with ease, and the door glided inwards without a sound. Naruto followed Kabuto into the room, and watched as the massive door closed on its own, ending with a soft clicking sound as it seemed to lock itself.

"Ah, Kabuto, I was expecting you…" There was a slight pause in the voice before it spoke again, "… and what do we have here?"

Naruto turned away from the doors to witness the owner of the voice standing slowly from what seemed to be a chair made of solid gold snakes with various gems for eyes. The chair, throne really, had snakes curling around its body to make its legs and armrests. There was a soft maroon pillow for sitting on in the 'seat' and atop the back of the throne sat a black and white yin yang disc the size of a dinner plate. The yin yang would sit above the head of whoever sat in the throne.

After staring at the mass of curling gold, Naruto finally tore his eyes away to gaze upon the one who had apparently been sitting in it.

He wore the same gray robes that all the other ninja Naruto had seen, wore. Underneath he also wore the form-fitting black garments that Naruto had seen on all the others as well. The similarities stopped there though. Instead of a thin purple rope belt, this man wore a rather thick purple belt made of stiff rope. The ends of the belt stuck upwards, towards his shoulders, like twin serpents. His skin was pale as bone, and his hair as black as night; which hang loosely in perfect straightness around his face, shoulders and down his back. His eyes were startling to behold at first, pale gold and slitted pupils, like a snake's. Pale purple markings outlined his slightly tilted and angular eyes, making them even sharper on his pale face. On his left ear he wore a large dangling earring, which was composed of a strange blue design. It didn't take much for Naruto to figure out who he was.

Now he wore a half smirk that conveyed his slight curiosity rather well, "Who is your little friend, Kabuto?"

Kabuto knelt down on one knee, keeping eye contact with the Otokage. After a moment, Naruto did the same, he was pretty positive now that he knew who this man was.

Kabuto smiled slightly, "This, Orochimaru-sama, will most likely be on of the greatest prizes I bring to you." Holding out his hand towards the blond boy, Kabuto elaborated, "This is Uzumaki Naruto. He would've been a Konoha Genin if I didn't convince him to come with me to Oto."

Orochimaru frowned pensively for a moment, "Uzumaki…? Now, where have I heard that name before? Going to be a Genin of the Leaf, eh? What's so special about him that he would be such a great boon to me?"

Kabuto's smile grew wider, almost showing teeth, "This boy is the bane of Konoha. He is the _container._"

Naruto frowned at the emphasis on 'container', not knowing what Kabuto meant by it. He definitely understood the bane part though, everyone hated him in Konoha after all.

Orochimaru's expression, on the other hand, was very different from Naruto's. The Snake Sannin's mouth was slightly agape as his eyes widened, and then began to sparkle with barely contained excitement as he gazed upon the blond. "Ku ku ku ku… yes, now I remember where I heard that name from. Amazing, that it was so easy to obtain you." Orochimaru switched his focus back to Kabuto, " How many ANBU did you have to slay before you could talk to him, and how many more before you could get him out of Konoha? I really do hope that you didn't jeopardize your position in the Leaf."

Naruto stared openmouthed at Kabuto. He could beat ANBU! They were the elite masked ninja that guarded him and were said to be some of the strongest ninja in Konoha! Naruto had no idea that Kabuto was so powerful.

Kabuto just kept smiling, he was enjoying surprising his master so thoroughly, "Naruto-kun here had no ANBU to guard him at the time. I merely met him in secret, saving him from some rather foolish chuunin by chance, and convinced him of the merits of Oto. The next day, me and my team picked him up and walked out of Konoha. Simple as that."

Orochimaru's eyes widened again, before his face broke out into a very whimsical smile, "Ku ku ku ku! The old fool! He probably thought the boy would be safe by not drawing attention to him during the Kyuubi festival. Of course… chuunin were attacking him you say?" Orochimaru returned his gaze to Naruto, "Apparently, as I thought, the villagers do not look on you the way they should…" Orochimaru crouched down, placing his elbows on his knees so as to be nearly eye level with Naruto. The Snake Sannin must have been around five feet and ten inches or so, much taller than Naruto's four foot four.

Naruto noted the smooth grace in which the Otokage moved. Very much like the serpent he was named for. Naruto averted his eyes, nervousness seeming to take over. Before he knew it though, the Snake Sannin had hooked a finger under his chin so as to look into his eyes, and gently ran thumb across his whisker marks.

"Tell me, Naruto-kun. Would you like to become an Oto Nin? In doing so you will pledge allegiance to me and me only. To obey my will and the command of your superiors. This is all I ask of you." Orochimaru smirked expectantly, "What do you say?"

Naruto tried his best to smile and nodded slowly, "I-I swear to serve you Orochimaru-sama. I want to be a Sound Nin. I… I want a real home…"

Orochimaru smiled, showing a small hint of elongated canines, slightly surprising Naruto, though not too much; after all, Kabuto had told him that Orochimaru was like him… different. "That is good enough I suppose. You will continue your studies, Naruto-kun, and when you graduate with your peers you will be a Genin of Otogakure."

The Snake Sannin turned to Kabuto once again as he stood up from Naruto, "Kabuto, take young Naruto-kun here and find him a room. He will be brought to the elite training hall. I want him to meet his new classmates."

Kabuto nodded, "As I expected Orochimaru-sama. I am glad you are pleased with Naruto-kun here."

Orochimaru walked up to the dais that his throne sat on, walking up the three steps, and then lounging haphazardly on the golden monstrosity; one leg thrown over an armrest and one arm resting on the other, supporting his face with a fist. "Oh yes, Kabuto, I am very pleased. Good job, you'll be finding some more specimens in your lab later tomorrow."

Kabuto seemed to like hearing that and motioned for Naruto to follow him out.

Before Kabuto opened the door however, Orochimaru called out softly to Naruto, "Welcome to your new family, Naruto-kun."

* * *

Once outside the massive bronze doors, Kabuto led Naruto down one of the adjacent hallways. "I'm bringing you to your own living quarters, Naruto-kun. You'll have a bed, a cabinet, shelves for personal items, and a dresser to put your clothes in."

Naruto nodded, still a little dumbfounded with all that was happening to him. He got a room all to himself? He wasn't expecting that. He didn't know new recruits got their own rooms. Naruto had thought he was going to have to share with another or more.

They walked for maybe two minutes before turning into another hallway that ended after five or so doors on each side. There were a set of double wooden doors at the end of the hall. Kabuto stopped at the third door on the left, "This will be your room, Naruto-kun. As you can see, there are already a few living in this hallway with you, they are your classmates."

Naruto could see that five or so of the doors had something hanging on them that seemed to convey that it belonged to someone. The one next to his had various posters hanging on the front of the door, and there was a slight rhythmic, thumping noise coming from inside. The door across from his merely had a sign hanging on the front that said 'STAY OUT'. He didn't get a chance to look at the others before Kabuto pushed him into his own room.

Naruto gaped and dropped his backpack. It was so _neat._ Taking up half of the far wall was a low bed, complete with pillows, sheets, and a headboard with a wall-clock above it. Next to the headboard was a cabinet hanging off of the wall, and right next to the threshold was a writing desk complete with a lamp and a swivel chair that moved on wheels. The other side of the room opposite the cabinet and desk was a dresser and another door on the far wall near the foot of the bed. In the center of the ceiling was slow turning ceiling fan, complete with four directional light bulbs; giving the room a warm glow. All in all the room must have been fifteen feet across on all sides and ten feet high. It was the largest room he had ever seen for a sleeping quarters.

And it was his.

Naruto ran forward and jumped face first on to the bed, _his_ bed. He lay there for a moment till he heard a slight chuckling from the door. He looked up to see Kabuto leaning against his door frame, smiling at his antics.

"Naruto-kun, you're extremely dirty from traveling all the way here. It would be best to take a shower before lying in your new bed I think." Kabuto stepped into the room and opened the door near the foot of the bed.

Naruto got up to see what was inside and found himself with a gaping mouth once again. Inside was a walk in closet, five feet wide and ten feet long with shelves and hangers on either side, and at the far end of that, was an entrance into the bathroom. Naruto walked into there and marveled at the size of the largest private bathroom he had ever seen. It wasn't that large, but it was bigger than the one Naruto had at his apartment. There was a shower _and_ a tub, complete with toilet and a sink with a rather large mirror above it. All the required hygienic necessities were present; toothbrush, toothpaste, mouthwash, body wash, bar soap, hair shampoo, hair conditioner, multitudes of white towels and, of course, toilet paper. The entire bathroom was done in glimmering white tile that had a mosaic of two serpents, one black, the other white, wrapped around each other in the center of the floor.

Kabuto turned around and headed through the walk in closet back into the room proper, "I'll wait out here Naruto-kun as you take your shower."

Naruto nodded, though Kabuto couldn't see anymore; and stripped quickly, turning on the water to cold. He had never taken a hot shower in his life, the one time he had tried the Super of his apartment building threatened to throw him out. He also took very short showers for the same reason.

Three minutes, and Naruto had scrubbed himself down with the bar soap, ran the shampoo through his hair and rinsed off before stepping out and drying himself with one of the white towels. It was cotton, and one of the softest, nicest smelling things he had ever let touch his skin.

He finished drying off and wrapped the towel around his mid-section, walking out into his room where Kabuto waited.

Kabuto raised a surprised eyebrow, "That was rather quick, Naruto-kun. I don't know how it was at that apartment you stayed in, but here you take showers not only to clean yourself _thoroughly_, but also to relax yourself after a days training. For, that is what you will be doing. Here you won't be skipping classes, you will train everyday except Saturday, which is your day off each week." Kabuto gestured towards the bathroom and smiled warmly, "So cleanliness is important, Naruto-kun. Go ahead and wash, I happen to be patient when I want to be."

Naruto gave a sheepish grin before turning around and nearly _running_ to the shower. It took him a moment, but he eventually got the temperature just right, and took his first ever steaming-hot-shower. It was amazing. Naruto took his time washing with all the available soaps, taking a full fifteen minutes to wash up and just enjoy soaking under the hot water. After he got out, he felt cleaner than he could ever remember being. Even at the orphanage, he had only been allowed a couple minutes in the bath before the rest of the children got to take their long group bath together.

Naruto dried off again with his towel, taking his time and fully enjoying the towel's softness and the very clean scent that was coming off of his skin. He walked back out with the towel wrapped around his waist, grinning widely at Kabuto.

Kabuto smiled back, "Ah, now that's much better, Naruto-kun" Kabuto walked over to the dresser, "You can unpack all of your things in a little bit, I would suggest putting the scroll I gave you into the cabinet for later study, and you'll even be allowed to wear your orange clothes on your off days. On training days, however, you are to wear these." Kabuto pulled out a stack of clothes that, after Naruto had unfolded them, were revealed to be the same gray robes and black underclothes that he had seen the other Sound Nin wearing. Though these ones were slightly different, there was a yin yang on the lower front part of the robe that would hang beneath a belt.

Naruto held up the clothes to Kabuto, "Ne, Kabuto-san, what does the yin yang mean, and when do I get to wear a hitai-ate and one of those purple belt thingies?"

Kabuto chuckled, "The yin yang signifies that you are part of the elite classes, the ones you'll be sharing with your classmates. You won't be able to wear the purple belt until you reach jounin rank. The hitai-ate comes after graduating the elite academy, of course."

Naruto thought for a moment, "Jounin, huh? What do I wear when I reach chuunin, and how come I'm part of the elite academy?"

Kabuto smirked, amusement reflected behind his wire-frame glasses, "You sure do ask a lot of questions, Naruto-kun. That's good, the more questions you ask the better, for knowledge _is_ power. Alright, when you reach genin you get the hitai-ate. When you reach chuunin you get to wear that tan cloth scarf with the camouflage design on it. When you reach jounin, you finally get to wear the purple belt. However, since you're elite, once you reach chuunin rank you instead receive one of the rope belts that you saw the Otokage wearing."

Naruto frowned at that, making an ugly face, "You mean that giant ugly thing Orochimaru-sama was wearing? Isn't there something better to wear? And you still didn't answer why I'm an elite."

Kabuto couldn't help but be amused, though he did sigh slightly, the boy seemed to be filled with questions, "No there isn't anything else for you to wear. Besides, you'll like it when the time comes, it is the sign of Orochimaru-sama's personal guard, which are all elites; and as for the reason why you are elite… well, that's because of the reason why your old village hated you, you're different. Your classmates are all different to, and are elites as well. Because of this, you all will be receiving elite training in preparation for service under the Otokage."

Naruto brightened at the fact that he for once, being different was going to be something good. He was going to be getting _elite_ training. Naruto threw off his towel and donned the black underclothes quickly, and then, putting on the gray robes on over that, tied them with the plain brown sash he had seen the other Genin and Chuunin wearing.

Kabuto rolled his eyes at the boy's eagerness, this should be interesting, "Alright, Naruto-kun, its six o'clock, so your classmates are still having a lesson right now. Why don't we go in and meet them?"

Naruto had just slipped on a pair of black sandals and stood up. He felt the nervousness return to him tenfold. There was a large amount of excitement mixed into there as well. These were the children that Kabuto had said were like him; feared by their villages and found by Orochimaru. He tried his best to calm himself with deep breaths, which really didn't seem to work; and followed Kabuto out of his room and towards the double wooden doors at the end of the short side-hall that made up the elite quarters.

Kabuto knocked once before opening and entering the door, beckoning Naruto to follow him in.

Naruto gulped and entered the room beyond.

* * *

"Get up, Fat-ass! Your turn to get your ass kicked!"

Naruto had just walked in to see a girl with the reddest hair he had ever seen, be picked up and tossed unceremoniously onto her rear, by what apparently appeared to be a teacher of jounin rank. Now she was ranting at one of the three boys who had laughed at her; a fat kid that reminded Naruto of one of his Konoha class-mates, Chouji or something like that.

The Jounin instructor saw Kabuto enter with Naruto after tossing the redhead, and called a temporary halt to the class.

The jounin saluted Kabuto, hand over heart, "Kabuto-sama, I'm surprised to see you here. You rarely come to the elite quarters, much less to one of their classes. Unless, of course, Otokage-sama wants Kimimaro for something?"

Kabuto shook his head, donning his pleasant smile, "No, its not one of Kimimaro's personal training days anyways. Although, I have brought you something though." Kabuto gestured towards the blond standing slightly behind him, "I've brought you a new student, Senritsu-san."

The jounin, Senritsu, looked around Kabuto to gaze upon the blond, "Hmpf… doesn't look like much. What's his name?"

Kabuto smiled humorously, "They always don't look like much to you Senritsu-san. His name is Uzumaki Naruto, and Orochimaru-sama wants him to meet his new classmates. I'll leave explanations of class criteria and scheduling to you." Kabuto put his hand behind Naruto's back, and gently pushed him forward towards Senritsu, "Naruto-kun, this is Senritsu-san, he's a very special jounin. He will be your teacher and you will refer to him as Senritsu-sensei. Alright?" At Naruto's nervous nod, Kabuto whispered something into Senritsu's ear, causing the jounin's eyes to widen, and then turned to go; nodding to Senritsu to continue the lesson.

Naruto watched Kabuto go and then slowly turned around to face Senritsu, his new teacher. The man was tall, taller than Orochimaru, and unlike most of the Sound Nin Naruto had seen, he did not wear the black face mask. His hitai-ate, instead of on his forehead was wrapped around his chest on a sash belt that crossed from his right shoulder to his left hip. On his back was a katana, attached by the sash-belt-hitai-ate, and he wore his camo-scarf wrapped loosely around his face so that it covered his mouth, though his nose could still be seen. The two ends of the scarf hung down to his knees in the back. Other than that, he wore what every other Jounin wore, though on his left earlobe he wore the same earring that Orochimaru had worn. His face was plain to Naruto, though, if girls saw him, little hearts would appear in their eyes. His hair was a dark brown and spiked in a swept back pattern so it seemed he had been running into a strong wind all day. His eyes though were a bright green that could a make a cat jealous, and seemed to sparkle with barely contained amusement at all times. His eyes also seemed to be lined in black eye-liner, though Naruto would later find out that those were actually tattoos, and his forehead bore one black dot in between his eyebrows.

Senritsu crouched down so he could look Naruto in the eye, "Hello Naruto, my name is Sumiyaka Senritsu. I'm going to be your new teacher. Although, personally, you don't look special enough to me to be an elite."

Naruto's nervousness seemed to vanish at this and he frowned angrily at the man. Senritsu's eyes crinkled at the edges showing he was smiling, which only served to anger Naruto more. "I am too special! Orochimaru-sama himself said I was to be an elite!"

Senritsu seemed to smile even more, his cheeks causing his eyes to turn into little upside down half-moons, "Really, is that so? Well you're going to have to show me what's so special about you to make me want to teach you." Senritsu jerked his thumb behind him at the other children who were each watching them with varying degrees of interest, "You see them? Each one of them has something very special about them that Orochimaru-sama thought was enough to get them into elite training. Each one of them went through a lot of hard times before they came here." Senritsu stood up and started leading Naruto over to the gathered children, "I think it's time to introduce you to the kids that you'll be learning with."

As they stopped before the crowd of kids Senritsu addressed them all, "Alright everyone, this is going to be your new classmate. I want you all to introduce yourselves to him, and if you're willing, show him what's so _special_ about you that got you to be an elite trainee."

Naruto was still too angry with his new sensei to really look at the gathered children in front of him, until they started introducing themselves.

"Yo! Name's Kidoumaru, and well… as you can see, this is what's so special about me."

Naruto looked up at the boy who had addressed him and stared, open-mouthed. He had darker than normal skin, and his black hair was done up in a spikey ponytail. He, like Naruto and the rest of the children, wore the same gray robes with the yin yang symbol on the front. More importantly though, "Y-you…! You have six arms!" Naruto instantly regretted letting the words slip out of his mouth.

The boy, Kidoumaru, however, simply laughed, "Heheheh! So you noticed, huh? Though' I agree with Senritsu-sensei, I don't see anythin' different about you like the rest of us, cept' those whisker marks you got on your face. What do those do? Make you cuter or somethin'?"

Senritsu chuckled softly, though spoke sternly, "That's enough Kidoumaru, you know better than that. This boy's difference, whatever it is, may have given him a hard life just like you."

Kidoumaru had the decency to stare at the ground, embarrassed at his sensei's words. "Heya… blond kid, sorry about sayin' that about you. I didn't really mean it, just playin' around, you know?"

Naruto brightened a little, he really didn't get a whole lot of apologies where he came from, "Its okay… uh, Kidoumaru. Sorry about yelling at your arms, I was just a surprised a little. Didn't know there were people out there even more different than me." Naruto mumbled most of it, still feeling shy around these kids his own age, but Kidoumaru seemed to understand.

Kidoumaru nodded with a slight smile and sat down again. Next to step forward was the fat kid that Naruto saw the redhead yelling at. "Hey there, my name's Jiroubou."

Jiroubou was taller than Kidoumaru, who was taller than Naruto, and was probably two to three times wider. His orange colored hair was cut short on the sides and styled into a small Mohawk on the top. He wore a necklace of rawhide that had red beads separated by metal stick medallions on the front, and his eyes looked to be brown at first, but were more of a reddish amber color.

Naruto squinted at him, "Uh, so what makes you special? Other than your hair and eye color you don't look different like Kidoumaru does."

Jiroubou smirked, "Here, I'll show you."

Naruto watched as Jiroubou walked up to one of the wooden dummies in the room, and then punched it. Naruto's mouth seemed to be getting a workout in hanging open today, for the dummy Jiroubou just punched, exploded and splintered into something resembling sawdust. "… Super-strength then I guess?"

Jiroubou smiled, apparently pleased at Naruto's awe, "Yep, although, the family I was born in was known for their strength, I was considered a freak. I had orange hair when they all had black, and had these red eyes, when they all had brown eyes. Plus, I was so strong that I accidentally hurt people. The grown-ups didn't like me, my own parents were embarrassed of me, and no one wanted to bother with teaching me how to control my strength." Jiroubou crossed him arms and smirked, "Then Orochimaru-sama found me, and everything changed." Jiroubou turned around and sat down next to Kidoumaru, grabbing a basket of bread rolls which he proceeded to devour.

Next to introduce themselves was a blue-haired boy with blue lips and what appeared to be blue eye-liner… though Naruto was pretty sure that none of it was makeup or hair dye. His hair was medium in length, with it combed over so it hid his right eye, "Hello, the name's Sakon, and this…" Sakon turned around to reveal to Naruto why he was different, "… is my twin brother Ukon."

Naruto was able to keep his out burst to a simple gasp this time. Sakon had _two_ heads! The other's neck, Ukon's, was attached to the back of Sakon's so he was facing the other way; and he seemed to be sleeping. The only difference between the two was that Ukon's hair was combed over to cover the left side of his face and he wasn't wearing the necklace of large red beads that his brother wore.

"Hey, Ukon! Wake up for a minute, we got a new classmate!" Sakon seemed to get irked rather easily for some reason.

Naruto froze as the head, that was Ukon, grumbled something incoherent and looked up at Naruto, "Oh, hey there…" Ukon yawned, cracking his jaws, "… the name's Ukon, guess you already met my temperamental brother." Naruto felt his heart skip as _another arm_ slid out of Sakon's back to wave at the blond then slid slowly back in, leaving not a mark behind. Ukon then promptly hung his head again and fell back to sleep.

Naruto shook himself out of his dazed state enough to reply, "Well, its nice meeting… uh, the _both_ of you."

After Sakon, _and _Ukon sat down, the redhead girl that Naruto saw Senritsu throw across the room stepped up.

The girl put on a slightly bored and annoyed expression before speaking, "Hey… you can call me Tayuya, if you want."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, this Tayuya seemed to be a pretty sour person from what he'd seen already. "… and, uh, what makes _you_ different form normal people, Tayuya?" The girl had long bright red hair that was mostly seen poking out from underneath a weird black beanie-cap that was wrapped with some white bandages to make sure it stayed on. A lock of red hair hung over her face and between her coal black eyes. Naruto thought that, even though she seemed grumpy, she was kinda pretty. Like that one girl back in Konoha… Sakura was her name.

Tayuya suddenly seemed to get angry at the question, "None of your business, short-stuff!" For indeed, Tayuya was at least an inch taller than Naruto, "Why don't you stop asking such retarded questions! I got something different about me, that's all you need to know!" Tayuya promptly turned around and plopped herself away from the boys who were smirking amusedly at what had just transpired.

Naruto felt shock at first, and then hurt at being yelled at, but then that quickly turned into anger. He had learned a long time ago that allowing himself to show that he was hurt at other people's insults didn't get him anywhere. So he either hid it behind a mask of happy stupidity or plain downright anger. Right now, he was going for angry.

Right when he opened his mouth to retort though, Senritsu put a calming hand on his shoulder. His sensei bent down enough to whisper in his ear, so no one else could hear, "Don't mind Tayuya, Naruto, she's like that because she's had the hardest time out of everyone here, except maybe Kimimaro. She learned to deal with her problems by being mean to everyone else who was mean to her. So even though she may be harsh at first and not like you, just understand that she's been through a lot, okay?"

Naruto nodded slowly, understanding, but still slightly annoyed at being yelled at. He didn't know what Tayuya had gone through, or why she was different, but he understood the reason for hiding behind a mask. Apparently, whatever made her different was a touchy subject.

The last to step forward, was a white-haired boy who had been leaning nonchalantly against the wall. He wore the same as everyone else, though his gray robes were more designed like a kimono and gaped open in the front to show his bare chest; plus, its sleeves were a lot longer and hid his hands most of the time. His white hair hung past his shoulders and was parted in a zigzag pattern, and he seemed to have red eye-liner with two red dots which could be seen above each eyebrow. Again, Naruto was sure that these were not makeup. Up close, Naruto could see that he had green eyes that were only a shade darker than Senritsu's.

"Hello, there. My name is Kaguya Kimimaro, it's a pleasure to meet you." The boy was soft spoken, and not a whole lot of emotion crossed his face or voice. Matter of fact, compared to the others he was pretty emotionless. It reminded Naruto of the stoic Uchiha that he had sat next to in the academy back in Konoha. Though, of course, this stoic boy didn't call him names, and was rather polite.

Kimimaro smirked slightly, the first hint of emotion Naruto saw on him, "I suppose, you want to see why I'm different?" For some reason the other's behind Kimimaro were grinning from ear to ear.

Frowning at the grins, Naruto nodded slowly.

Kimimaro nodded and slid his robe up his arm to reveal his hand. Holding his hand upwards, palm facing towards the blond, Naruto stared as the skin on Kimimaro's palm bulged and then split open to reveal a sharp point of bone. The bone continued to slide out of Kimimaro's palm until it stopped at about two feet in length. There were small patches of blood on the shaft of bone and around the palm where the bone came out.

Naruto swallowed the bile that had been rising in his throat. He wasn't sure that he would be able to become used to that. Naruto now knew why everyone had been grinning behind Kimimaro; they had been expecting him to vomit. Well, he wasn't going to give them the pleasure if he could help it. They seemed a little put out when Naruto didn't show any queasiness as Kimimaro retracted the bone spike back into his hand.

"So I guess, you can use your bones like weapons?" Naruto noticed the wound heal around the bone tip as it reentered the white-haired boy's palm, "… and you can heal really fast too?"

Kimimaro shook his head, he had heard a strange tone from the blond when he mentioned healing, "Yes, I can use my bones as weapons, but no, I don't heal. Any outside injury will still hurt me, I only heal the wounds that my bones cause when I grow them out at accelerated rates."

Naruto nodded, understanding most of it, "Oh. So you only heal what your bones do to you, right?"

Kimimaro nodded and went back to leaning against the wall behind everyone else.

Senritsu gently pushed Naruto a little closer to his new classmates, "Alright, your turn to introduce yourself, and to show us what makes you so special."

Naruto could the feel the nervousness worming its way back through his stomach, but managed to squash it down somewhat. "Um… my name is Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto grinned sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, "… and uh, I don't really know how to show you what I can do."

Everyone in the room , except Naruto, of course, sweat-dropped.

Tayuya was the first to say something, "What the Hell do you mean, you don't know how! How fucking retarded are you!" Tayuya continued to go on in a loud rant, screaming things that Naruto lost track of, and most of them he didn't understand anyways. For some reason though, he refrained from yelling back. He wanted to, but he remembered what Senritsu had told him about the redhead, and so he took a lesson from the rest of the boys and just bore through it. He wasn't going to yell at her, she didn't deserve that kind of treatment; not from him anyway.

Jiroubou and Sakon, on the other hand, had no problem with berating the ranting redhead about her foul language and nasty attitude. Kimimaro, being the stoic brooder, just seemed to ignore everyone, except Naruto; he was apparently interested in what Naruto could do. Kidoumaru just put up two of his many hands, and plugged his ears, grimacing as if he could still hear her.

Senritsu was able to calm down Tayuya rather quickly with a single upraised hand, "Now, now. No need to get upset at Naruto here, Tayuya. After all, you didn't want to show him what's so different about you." Tayuya seemed to calm down rather quickly at that, although she still sniffed at Naruto and turned her back to him; arms crossed defiantly.

Naruto shrugged and sighed, his new classes were going to be interesting, at the very least. Naruto started looking around for something he could use. If they wanted to see what was so special about him, than he might as well show them. It's not like it bothered him anyways.

The room was large, about fifty feet by fifty feet with a ceiling fifty feet high, making a nice large cube that was perfect for training in. Unlike the rest of the chambers Naruto had seen, this room didn't have stone walls, or at least the stone was covered over by paneled wood. Even, his own room had stone walls. The wood was stained only slightly so it was only a little bit darker than the original shade, and was polished so it reflected the warm light of the torches. Of course, the wood paneling only went up twenty feet, the rest of the thirty feet up was stone with spaced out torch brackets that lit the entire room up to the ceiling. The center floor had a circular platform of stone that was thirty feet across and raised about three feet higher than the rest of the floor. It was apparently a sparring ring, and around the ring, to the left of the door was where they had been making their introductions. The walls were lined with racks of equipment, mostly dummies made of various materials, punching bags, weights and other exercise implements; and, plenty of weapons.

Naruto walked to one of the near weapon racks and grabbed a random kunai knife. After walking back, he held up the kunai so everyone could see. He didn't want to kill himself, but from past experience he knew that he would be okay if he aimed for any spot that wasn't instantly lethal. "This is what's so special about me…" Naruto flipped the kunai into a downward grip and then thrust the sharp blade, hilt deep, into his stomach. He was able to only let out a small grunt from the pain, though that didn't stop the grimace on his face.

Kidoumaru, Jiroubou and Tayuya gasped as one and ran towards Naruto to stop him from killing himself. Sakon stood up, shocked, his feelings waking up Ukon who turned around to see what the blond had done. Kimimaro stood, leaning on his patch of wall, an emotionless expression on his face; if one paid attention closely though, they would see an intense look of interest and curiosity in his eyes.

Senritsu smiled till his eyes were half-moons and sweat-dropped.

"You fucking retard! What the fuck did you do that for! Goddammit, I knew blonds were stupid, but not this fucking idiotic!" Tayuya was panicking, and Naruto was beginning to get worried, not from the wound in his stomach, but from the fact that he hadn't expected them all, especially Tayuya, to react like this.

Kidoumaru was keeping his head better though, "Jiroubou, pull out the kunai and I'll keep pressure on the wound. Tayuya, Tayuya! TAYUYA! Go get some bandages!"

Tayuya only glared at him with a mixed look of panic and anger before hurrying to a wall cabinet not too far away that had a red cross on the front. She hadn't been paying _that_ much attention to the blond.

Senritsu watched it all with a rather whimsical look on his face. His students were working rather well together as a team. Kidoumaru was staying calm and having Jiroubou and Tayuya help him in 'saving' their new classmate, while Sakon and Ukon hovered nearby, but not too close, in case they were needed.

Senritsu noticed Kimimaro, who hadn't moved a twitch from his position. The white-haired boy probably already figured it out the moment Naruto had brandished the kunai. Senritsu wasn't surprised, Kimimaro was the most intelligent and talented out of all of them. Only expected of Orochimaru's personal apprentice. Senritsu grimaced inside, however. The Kaguya wasn't even making an effort in helping, automatically relying on his genius and believing all was well. That was the problem with geniuses, they thought they knew everything, and no one could prove them wrong. For example, if Kimimaro was wrong, and Naruto didn't have the ability that he thought he did, the blond could die because the stoic boy was so sure in his hypothesis that he wouldn't lift a finger to help. Only _if_, the boy died would Kimimaro think himself wrong, and even then, not by much.

Senritsu shook his head slightly, Orochimaru pampered the boy too much to be like him, which was detrimental to this elite grouping if the Otokage wanted them to work together as a team. Oh well, he wasn't going to complain about it, he wasn't _that_ stupid.

Senritsu walked over to the three children who were trying to help their brand-new classmate from his certain doom. "Here Jiroubou, let me see that kunai, and Tayuya go ahead and put the gauze and bandages down."

They stared at him as if he had grown a second head like Sakon, but Jiroubou handed over the kunai; and Tayuya, though a bit more reluctantly, placed the gauze and bandages off to the side, still in easy reach though. Just in case.

Senritsu knelt down next to Naruto and undid his sash belt, pushing up his robe and black shirt to expose his belly. Senritsu 'tsked' slightly, "Brand new uniform, Naruto, and you ruin it on your first day of class. If you keep working this hard you'll be farther along than the rest of your classmates by the end of the year." Except for Kimimaro, he added mentally.

Kidoumaru and the others stared at Senritsu, perplexed at their sensei's words. Senritsu just smiled slightly and gestured for them to look at Naruto's stomach as he wiped all the blood away. What they saw riveted their attention so that they completely forgot their sensei's words. Even, Kimimaro had walked over to get a better view of what was happening.

A red seal had seemed to appear out of nowhere onto Naruto's stomach. It was a ring of several layers of seal script with a weird spiral symbol that wound itself inwards stopping at Naruto's navel. What was so riveting though was the fact that the seal seemed to be absorbing any blood that touched it, and the wound in Naruto's stomach, just above his belly button was closing. Closing so fast that it was like watching someone do cross-stitch in fast forward. Steam was rising off of the wound as calories, and a small amount of chakra and physical energy was burned off to close the wound so rapidly. It only took about sixty seconds before the seal disappeared, fading away into his skin and leaving a completely smooth belly; as if he had never stabbed it with a kunai in the first place.

Naruto was pale and breathing hard though, as sweat rolled off his face and beaded all over his body. The blond suddenly jerked violently, startling Kidoumaru, Jiroubou and Tayuya, as he sat up and vomited on the ground next to him, right in front of Senritsu. Although, instead of normal viscous stomach bile, it looked like Naruto had coughed up jellied blood. It was a red so dark it was black and it oozed across the stone floor like tar.

Senritsu suddenly chuckled, smiling so his eyes were half-moons, "Ah! So that's where I stuck one of my poisoned kunai, I was wondering where that was." A small heart even appeared above his head.

A massive sweat-drop followed this statement.

Naruto coughed again, but it sounded healthier than the last, and none of the black tar-like blood came up, "That would explain why I felt sick afterwards, that never happened before."

Senritsu continued smiling, not really noticing his students' reactions, "Well, it looks like Naruto's ability here is extreme rapid healing that has to deal with the seal that appeared on his stomach. Oh, and you're apparently immune to poison as well. That kunai was poisoned with a double dose of Deadly Nightshade extract, one of the most poisonous plants in the world.

Naruto stared at Senritsu, dumbfounded, until anger took over, of course, "YOU KNEW! You asshole! What kinda of teacher are you that you let your own student stab himself with your own poisoned kunai!" _A double dose? How much poison does one kunai need!_

The rest of Senritsu's students were staring at him, apparently unsurprised by his actions. Senritsu shrugged at everyone, and then turned his attention back to Naruto, "I had you do that on your own, because you had to prove to me that you were worth my time." Senritsu gestured at the rest of Naruto's classmates, "More importantly, you had to prove to _them_ that you were worth their time. No amount of me telling them what you could do would have had the same effect as what you just did."

Naruto allowed himself to calm at these words, mostly because being angry still, was making him a little woozy from the double dose of highly toxic poison he had just healed. "So I guess I learned something new about myself at least, huh?"

Senritsu nodded, "Yes. Of course, you will continue learning many things about yourself, Naruto."

Naruto and the rest of his classmates were confused by these words, but before any of them could ask any questions, Senritsu stood up, replacing his poisoned kunai with the rest in a green pouch; where he kept such things, "Alright class, since we now officially have a new student, and introductions are out of the way, its time to do a little testing on our new Naruto here." Senritsu looked at the wall clock, it was six-thirty. They still had a hour and a half left, more than enough time.

Senritsu hopped onto the middle of the sparring ring and motioned for Naruto to follow him. The blond walked over to the steps that were embedded into one side of the ring and climbed the steps slowly to the ring floor, feeling a little paranoid about the whole 'testing' thing; and still a little shaky from the poison overdose. Senritsu had already proven to be rather… eccentric, after all. The rest of the class took positions next to the stage, all of them near Naruto so as to watch. All, except Kimimaro who went and stood on the other side of the ring, near Senritsu. It felt weird to Naruto, like he had people rooting for him or something, even if Tayuya was standing a little off to the side away from the others. Either way, he had never had anyone even _show_ support for him before.

Senritsu held out his arms, as if showing himself, and the sparring ring off. "This is the 'RING OF DEATH, DOOM, AND DESTRUCTION UNDER ONE ROOF'!"

Naruto face faulted while the others sweat dropped. Kimimaro just shook his head from side to side in exasperation. If it weren't for the fact that Senritsu was so powerful he would have had no respect for the man and his antics… wait he still didn't have respect for his antics, and _barely_ any respect for the man himself.

Naruto got up slowly, dusting himself off, and gave Senritsu an incredulous look, "Is that the real name of this thing?"

Senritsu nodded, a small heart appearing above his head again, "Yep! Though we just call it the Tri-D ring, or just the 'Trid' for short."

Kidoumaru whispered behind, Naruto, apparently not trying to be quiet, "He makes us _all_ call it the Trid, at least."

Senritsu seemed to finally get serious for a moment, "Alright Naruto, you're getting special attention, since this is your first day, and I don't really know your capabilities. After today though, you'll officially be a part of every class from here on out." Senritsu gestured around him, "The goal for this test is to not allow me to throw you out of this ring. You can not touch the ground anywhere outside the ring, or else you automatically lose." The green-eyed man then pointed at himself, "Now to _pass_ this test, or at least to bring it to and end where you're the winner, you have to land _one_ hit on me." Senritsu shrugged, "Of course, you _are_ new, so I don't expect you to last much longer than a few seconds. So don't push yourself _too_ hard, Naruto."

Senritsu allowed himself a small inward smile as he watched his new student begin to fume with barely suppressed anger. Now, if anything, the boy would try even harder to win this little test. Exactly what Senritsu wanted.

"That's it! You're fucking going down ASSHOLE!"… Okay, maybe the anger wasn't _that_ suppressed.

Senritsu smiled, "Good!" and then proceeded to toss up one of his kunai… an _un-_poisoned one. It hovered for a moment and Naruto tensed, sensing what was coming. As the kunai hit the stone floor of the ring and stuck, Senritsu yelled, "GO!"

Naruto sprung forward, charging head on at Senritsu.

Naruto found himself flying backwards, and then skidding along the stone floor of the ring. Only pure reflex made Naruto pull out a kunai and stick it into the floor of the ring, stopping his slide towards the edge. He stopped a mere two feet from losing. Had he just gotten hit? He hadn't even seen it!

Senritsu seemed to be in a good mood though, "Not bad, although stupid, your reaction time is much better than I thought it would be." Senritsu waited for Naruto to get up from his prone position before continuing, "Ah, a couple more rules, Naruto, before we continue. One: I'm not allowed to use weapons, or any sort of jutsu, only my own body can be used in my attempts to de-ring you." Senritsu chuckled, "Although, as you can see, if you keep this up I won't really need to use either anyways." Senritsu turned serious again, it was unnerving how quickly the man switched between emotions, "Two: the only way you are going to win this is if you come at me with the full intent to _kill_ me. Don't worry, cause you won't, no matter how hard you try. You're just trying to land a blow on me. Doesn't matter which way it is, either from jutsu, weapon, or your own fist. Use any jutsu or weapon you have on you. Now, before we continue, one more rule. Three: if, for any reason, you force me to use a jutsu or pull out a weapon, I automatically lose. Do we understand all the rules, Naruto?"

Naruto had already slid into the fighting stance Kabuto had showed him during their traveling from Konoha, "Yeah, I got 'em."

Senritsu smiled, all fun and games again, "Alright then! You may continue."

Naruto didn't move right away this time, instead he was trying to think as quickly as possible; had been ever since his sensei had mentioned that he could use jutsu and weapons. He had barely caught the last rule that Senritsu couldn't use weapons or jutsu without losing the 'test'. He was trying to think as fast as his mind would allow him, he couldn't wait too long, for he doubted that Senritsu would just stand there smiling at him all day, waiting for him to make a move.

Naruto decided he couldn't wait any longer, and charged making hand seals as he ran, "**Bunshin no Jutsu!**" two other Naruto's appeared beside the original and began to interweave through each other as they ran towards Senritsu.

Senritsu raised a surprised eyebrow, impressed with the use of such an elementary jutsu. He became even more surprised though as the three 'Narutos' split up ten feet away from him to come at him from different angles. It was still a very forward attack, but against an inexperienced fighter or ninja, it would have a better chance of succeeding, or at least distracting the enemy. Senritsu casually punched the first one that reached him, causing it to disappear in clouds of smoke, then side-kicked the second one as it came from the side. They had almost no substance to them, and being only Bunshins, they couldn't attack him. He was only hitting them because one of them was the real Naruto, and he couldn't let the blond hit him. He then reversed the side kick into a round house, planning on kicking Naruto straight out of the ring.

Senritsu's eyes widened in undisguised surprise as his foot barely connected with Naruto and caused the blond to disappear in a cloud of white smoke. Unbalanced and still moving with the round house, Senritsu heard another 'popping' sound as another smoke cloud appeared in the center of the ring. The man's green eyes widened even more as the smoke cloud cleared to reveal the real Naruto holding _his _kunai! Naruto didn't hesitate and with an across the body toss, threw the kunai straight for Senritsu's chest.

The little brat had used a Henge no Jutsu without him even realizing it! He hadn't noticed that Naruto had used the first charge to grab his kunai that he had tossed into the middle of the ring. Although, he had expected him to eventually. But, the boy had apparently Henge'd into a kunai knife that appeared to be stuck in the middle of the ring, and he hadn't even noticed! Now he was off balance, and couldn't dodge the kunai that was streaking for his chest properly. So he did the only thing he could do, he stopped supporting himself and allowed his body weight to drop him to the ground. The kunai passed within a mere inch of where his chest had been.

Senritsu got back up in time to be confronted by another three Bunshins. He was ready this time though, he wasn't going to overextend himself while getting rid of these ones. They were less organized than before, making him 'tsk' disappointedly.

He punched the first one in the gut and felt his eyes widen once again as he felt solid flesh underneath his fist. So, the boy had used his real self as the first 'Bunshin' to try and fool him and get a punch in there, not bad. Now, he didn't have to pay attention to the other Bunshins, he just had to throw the real Naruto…

Senritsu felt his heart skip a beat as the 'real' Naruto, wearing a shit-eating grin, poofed away in a puff of smoke. There was no log or odd implement left behind to indicate a Kawarimi no Jutsu. _Kage Bunshin!_

Senritsu whirled around in time to face the other two oncoming Narutos. He slid into his taijutsu stance automatically, he was going to have to be a bit more serious now. He blocked the first couple blows from one Naruto and bonked him on the head, causing him to puff out of existence after a couple seconds of delay. He had never fought Kage Bunshins before, only heard about them. They were apparently just as solid and capable of landing a hit as the original eight year old blond, and didn't disappear as quickly as the mere illusionary Bunshins.

Senritsu turned to face the last Naruto and heard three _more_ poofs on the other side of the ring from him. Three of the ring's floor panels had transformed into three more Narutos. Senritsu landed a blow on the Naruto he was fighting just as two of the _new_ Narutos joined hands as the third Naruto sealed with one hand, and caused the other two to Henge into a 'Naruto-sized' shuriken (read: really big).

Naruto was still small and couldn't throw weapons with any _real_ deadly force, and before he had met Kabuto, he could barely use his own practice weapons at all. But, every night they had spent traveling, Kabuto had drilled him on his kata, jutsu, and basic shinobi knowledge. After the first night, Naruto would stay up, and sneak away from the sleeping forms of the men to go and practice everything Kabuto had shown him. Sometimes, for hours, returning to bed just before dawn. After all, he rarely seemed to be lacking in energy, and he didn't have to run, he just rode around on Misumi's back the entire trip. Although, Naruto never did notice that one of the three men had always been awake, and had kept an eye on him and his personal training. With all of that, Naruto could throw hard enough.

Senritsu jumped and flipped over the over-sized shuriken, and was planning on charging the remaining Naruto after landing, when, once again, he heard the dreaded _'poof'_.

The large shuriken had already left the ring area when it transformed _back_ into the two Narutos. Using their moving momentum, one Naruto grabbed the other by the wrists and twisted in midair, sending the other Naruto flying directly towards the sensei that was still flipping in the air.

Senritsu heard the other Naruto that was still in the ring charge at him as well. The two Narutos were going to slam into him from both sides. This entire time, it had only been a split second, and he was still upside down in midair. Improvising, Senritsu reached down to the ground with one hand and twisted, kicking his feet out into a helicopter kick; both heels landing on a whiskered Naruto-cheek.

_Both_ Narutos popped out of existence. _Aw, Shit!_

Senritsu pushed off the ground with both arms and barrel-rolled, just in time to avoid a Naruto landing heavily where he had just been a moment before. The boy had attacked from somewhere up above, and would've driven his _own_ kunai in between his upside down legs…

Well… he _had_ told the kid to come at him with the intent to kill.

Senritsu rushed up and unceremoniously 'soccer-kicked' the still crouching Naruto, sending him sailing through the air and over the edge of the ring. The green-eyed man actually breathed a sigh of relief as the last Naruto didn't go _poof_ and just stood up with a slight groan.

To say the least, he was _impressed._ He had still won with minimal effort, but the boy had come close, _very_ close a couple times to actually landing a blow on him. During the time he had dodged that first kunai throw the blond had made _six_ Kage Bunshins without him realizing it, and disguised himself with a Henge. While he had been occupied with the Kage Bunshins, Naruto had apparently hidden himself somewhere near the ceiling, apparently catching on that Senritsu had only said touching the _floor_ would count as a loss. He didn't even know how a boy who wasn't even Genin yet, knew how to use Kage Bunshin! He knew what the boy was, because of Kabuto informing him, but six Kage Bunshin so early on, was just _impressive_ for someone so young.

Senritsu clapped his hands in appreciation to the blond, "Very good, Naruto. Out of all the students here, you came the closest, except _maybe_ Kimimaro, to landing a blow on me."

Naruto looked up, confused at first, then smiling broadly at what his sensei said, "So, no one else has landed a blow on you?" At Senritsu's answering nod, Naruto grinned even wider than before, his electric blue eyes sparkling with excitement. _And he practically said that I had come closer than even that Kimimaro guy!_

Senritsu smiled proudly, the boy had potential. **Tons** of potential. "Don't let it get to your head though, your still a long ways away from _ever _beating me. But, tell me, Naruto, did you think up all of that the few seconds you took before you attacked me the second time? And, where did you learn the Kage Bunshin no Jutsu?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "Uh, actually, all I thought of was using Bunshin no Jutsu first, and then maybe Kage Bunshin no Jutsu if I needed to. I didn't really think that far ahead, just went with what felt best at the time."

Senritsu nearly face faulted at that, but was able to keep himself composed. The blond had come up with that attack plan on the _spot_? The boy apparently had a large talent for tactics that only seemed to poke its head up during the middle of a fight. He was going to have to coax that little monster out.

Naruto kept looking sheepish, "…and I learned Kage Bunshin from a scroll Kabuto gave me for my first ever birthday gift!"

Senritsu again felt surprised at this news, the boy seemed to cease surprising him. If he didn't stop soon, Senritsu was afraid he would be defeated by a heart attack, or some other medical condition along those lines.

Naruto had only met Kabuto a few days ago, and had apparently received the forbidden kinjutsu scroll that the Hokage kept. Kabuto must of stolen it for the boy. The boy had learned and practically mastered the fundamentals of a forbidden jutsu within the span of a _few days_. The potential that Senritsu _thought_ the boy had, had now just sky-rocketed through the roof.

Maybe Orochimaru may want Kimimaro as his personal apprentice, but he wondered if the Otokage would allow him to take on his own apprentice as well? After all, he was practically right below Kabuto in rank here, and the silver-haired boy had never shown an interest in taking on a pupil. Another thought for another time, he still planned on seeing all of them become genin first at least.

Naruto squinted pensively at his sensei, "So… what would've happened if I had hit you?"

Senritsu hopped down out of the ring and gestured for everyone to gather near. They still had an hour worth of class, but Naruto had done well, and if any of them wanted to rest they could. If not, they could have free training time to themselves or with each other. "Well, to answer your question, Naruto, if you had landed a hit on me, I would be giving a hitai-ate to you to wear right now." At Naruto's surprised look, Senritsu elaborated, "When I finally do feel ready to test you for becoming genin, you will have the same test that we just did here. But, in order to pass, you _must_ land a hit on me, and I'm allowed to use some jutsu and weapons, albeit minor ones."

Naruto nodded, understanding. "So, I gotta work hard so I can kick your ass next time, right?"

Senritsu, just chuckled pleasantly, "You and I, and everyone here, for that matter, will be doing a lot more sparring with each other before we do the genin test, Naruto. But, yes, you better train so you can beat me next time." The boy seemed to convey the gist of every conversation then downgraded it to its simplest form, getting straight to the point. Another strange, but probably useful talent.

As they gathered around their sensei, the rest of Naruto's classmates were staring at him with all new expressions. They had seemed to truly accept him after seeing that he had something that was special about him.

Now, Kidoumaru and Jiroubou were looking at him with appraising looks, apparently impressed with his performance against their sensei. While Sakon _and_ Ukon were both giving him a mixed look of appraisal and consideration; as if they were impressed, but couldn't quite decide what to make of him yet. Tayuya… well, Tayuya was Tayuya, but after everything that had happened in the last hour, she wasn't looking at him anymore with outright hostility. At least, he didn't think so. Kimimaro on the other hand was giving him a very weighing look, as if trying to size him up for himself. Naruto wasn't very astute in this area, but he was pretty sure that he had just gained himself a rival. While at the same time, his sensei, continued smiling at him with that goofy 'half-moon' smile of his. But none of that mattered to him, what mattered to him was what it all meant.

They acknowledged him. They accepted him.

He had never felt that feeling before, and he had to fight… oh how he had to fight, to keep his emotions in. He did allow himself to smile at all of them at least, receiving somewhat the same from everyone else, especially Kidoumaru and Jiroubou. Even Tayuya and Kimimaro seemed to have the ghosts of smiles somewhere on their faces.

Senritsu mused at his student's expressions, he was glad that the new classmate proved to be so valuable and all in all was accepted rather readily. This made sure that they would at least _try _to cooperate on most class days. "Alright class, we just had an exciting last hour. So, I'm going to give you the last hour of class off. You can go to your rooms, go to bed, stay up, or stay in here and kill each other I don't really care. Just have fun! I'll see you guys tomorrow morning, ten a.m. sharp!" and with that their sensei performed a Shunshin no Jutsu, disappearing in a cloud of white smoke.

Naruto was sure he would never get used to the new strange man that he had just become acquainted with.

Kidoumaru jumped up and pumped his fist…s, in the air "Woo hoo! Alright, an extra hour to ourselves!... hm, I think I still got my music playin' in my room."

Tayuya sighed, and stalked past them, growling to Kidoumaru, "I'm going to shower and go to bed, make sure you keep your damn music down, Spidey." Kidoumaru just smirked as Tayuya left the room.

Naruto turned to Kidoumaru, suddenly curious about the redhead, "Does she _ever_ call anyone by their actual name?"

Jiroubou laughed, "Nah, she has a nickname for all of us. It means, that no matter how much she yells at us, she likes us enough to call us something other than swear words. Anyone she doesn't like, which is anyone not part of our training… well…" Jiroubou, Kidoumaru, Sakon and Ukon all shivered as one.

Ukon was the one who spoke this time, Naruto could tell cause of how his hair was combed, "That girl is only ten years old, and I swear she eats nails for breakfast with that mouth."

Naruto raised his eyebrows, he was still feeling curious about all his classmates, especially since all of them were so willing to share things with him; something he thought he could get used to, if only with a few people, "Tayuya is ten? How old are the rest of you, and what does she call the rest of you anyways?"

Kidoumaru laughed, "We're all ten years old here, 'cept Kimimaro, he's eleven. What about you?"

Naruto shrugged, embarrassed, "Uh, I'm only eight."

That drew some surprised eyebrow raising, but nothing more. Jiroubou stepped in, "As for what Tayuya calls us, well, as you've probably already heard she calls me Fat-ass. She's the only one that I let her call me that, so don't think you can do so too, or else I'll have to beat the snot out of you. Oh, _apparently_ she calls Kidoumaru here, Spidey, cause well, you can see why… oh, she even has one for Senritsu-sensei."

"What's that?"

"… Idiot"

"I figured."

Sakon spoke this time, "She only has a single name for me and my brother, since we're fused together the majority of the time… she calls us Four-eyes. She even has a nickname for Kimimaro over there, she calls him Bones."

Kidoumaru grinned, "She only ever talks to Kimimaro when she's angry at him, so she usually only says that when she's talkin' _about_ him. They don't seem to get along sometimes."

Jiroubou laughed at that, "Neither of them really gets along with any of us that well, Tayuya at least talks to us. Kimimaro just ignores us, or nods his head yes or no. That's about it." The giant kid turned back to Naruto, "Don't worry, I think she likes you so far. When she finds out more about you she'll start calling you by your own personal nickname."

Kidoumaru put one of his hands on Naruto's shoulder, "Hey, I know we just met and all, and you probably got your stuff to unpack still, but do you wanna come to my room? Jiroubou and I are probably goin' to hang out for a bit before bed, you can hang with us if you want to. We don't usually get free time like this on trainin' days."

Naruto grinned, this was probably the first time someone had wanted to 'hang-out' with him, "Yeah! Is your room the one with all the posters on the door and the loud bass music pumping in it still?" Kidoumaru smiled and nodded.

Before leaving, Jiroubou turned to Sakon and Ukon, "Hey you two wanna hang out too? Kidoumaru gots a new video game that one of the jounin brought him from the outside!"

Sakon shrugged, "Nah, not this time guys, already promised Kimimaro that I'd spar with him for half an hour before going to bed. I might stop in before my shower though."

Jiroubou shrugged, looking over to where Kimimaro was standing expectantly in the middle of the Trid. The white-haired boy always made sure to spar with each of them once a day. He always won of course, he wondered how Naruto would do against him when the bone user decided he wanted to spar with the blond, "Your funeral, man…" Kimimaro _always _won.

Sakon flipped them off, causing Jiroubou and Kidoumaru to laugh before he and Ukon headed towards Kimimaro, his shoulders set determinedly.

Kidoumaru and Jiroubou led Naruto through the doors back into their hallway and towards Kidoumaru's room, "Hey, the new video game I got is the newest Tekken game, you ever heard of Tekken…?"

Naruto smiled, and even started joking a little with the two boys. He didn't really know how to act around friends, not really ever having any of his own back in Konoha.

But, he was pretty sure they were his friends now, at least he hoped so. And, he would learn how to be a friend in the only way that young boys know how.

Kickin' each other's asses in a virtual fighting game…

* * *

**A/N: **Alright here's the edited and revised chapter 2. Not a whole lot to change, just some grammatical errors and some extra stuff i typed in while a couple of others i deleted. There's actually not a whole lot I realize that I will be changing about the first 4 chapters of CD:KA, which is good, its still open ended enough to do with what I have planned.

Anywho for those of you wondering Kawaru (変わる), the title of this chapter, is japanese for "to be Different" Just gotta edit chapters 3 and 4 now.


	3. Kaisoku Hyoushi

**Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono **怪物曙

Chapter 3: Kaisoku Hyoushi 快足拍子

_-By Gadalla Rune-_

"Your guard's too high Naruto! You need to… see I told you! Now you got a gash on your head! No, no, we're not stopping Kimimaro! Don't worry about that, your bone blade didn't hit anything vital, and you already know that he can handle a little scratch like that anyways. Gah! Too slow Naruto, pick up the pace! Don't slow down just because you got blood running in your eye, you slow down cause your injured on the battlefield and you're as good as dead… good! Good! You almost hit him with that one! Kimimaro, you're letting your guard down, just be-… SEE! I told you not to let your guard down!"

Kimimaro's eyes widened when the 'Naruto' he was sure he had punched ended up poofing from existence as once again he destroyed another of the blonde's decoys. _I'm growing a strong dislike for shadow clones._ That had to be at least the 12th Kage Bunshin that he had punched, stabbed, mutilated, and quite utterly annihilated out of sheer frustration, and he _still_ hadn't seen hide nor hair of the blue-eyed irritant; the _actual_ blue-eyed irritant, except the once where he had gotten a lucky swipe in and cut his forehead with his bone blade. Kimimaro dodged yet another badly aimed kick, and stabbed the oncoming Naruto in the back with a bone spike he grew from his palm… and as expected; the body he stabbed gave a soft 'poof' as it disappeared in a cloud of white smoke.

Three weeks, _three _weeks that the boy named Uzumaki Naruto had joined their little elite class, and Kimimaro was already having trouble defeating the boy. Not saying that he wouldn't beat Naruto in this training bout, he had won in all the others against him already. It was just getting harder and harder to defeat the blonde in a quick and timely fashion. Naruto had gotten much better with his Kage Bunshin over the past few days, easily remembering to add the gash on the forehead and the copious amounts of blood that was running down to cover his left eye… now there were multiple mutilated looking Naruto's. Of course, he only had a limited amount of time, in a minute Naruto would regenerate such a minor wound and would be re-entering the fight to make it more difficult once again.

Kimimaro scanned the area of the practice arena that their sensei had so 'cunningly' nicknamed the 'Trid'. There were several Kage Bunshin and a new shadow clone randomly materializing in a cloud of smoke every couple of seconds or so… of course, Kimimaro was destroying them every second or so. Having seen Naruto's fighting style for the past few weeks; Kimimaro figured he was Henge'd into one of the floor tiles, or one of the many kunai and shuriken littering the floor of the Trid… Kimimaro had almost not blocked all of them.

Out of the corner of his eye, as he once again impaled another shadow clone, Kimimaro saw movement.

A kunai was conspicuously moving closer to him just within his sight range. If it weren't for his impressive ability to multitask in the middle of a fight he may have been in trouble, as it was however, Kimimaro _was _able to fight off a horde of Kage Bunshin _and_ search the premises for a well hidden Henge'd ninja that was starting to grate on his nerves.

In one fluid movement Kimimaro spun around, catching the 'moving kunai' with chakra in his foot and spun in a roundhouse kick, releasing the kunai in mid-swing and effectively throwing it out of the Trid where it hit a wall and screamed "Oowww!"

The Henge dispelled as Naruto, the _real_ Naruto, fell from the wall that he had slammed into headfirst. _Damn it!_ He had been certain that Kimimaro wouldn't see him this time, but apparently his shadow clones hadn't been good enough of a distraction to accomplish the goal of sneaking up behind the pale-haired bone user and incapacitating him to win the bout. Naruto sighed, and stood up slowly as his sensei walked over to him.

Sumiyaka Senritsu let out a tired sigh; it had been him yelling at Kimimaro and Naruto as they sparred against one another in the Trid. "Well, it's only been about three weeks since you got here, and you've improved more than just a little." Senritsu smiled, his eyes curving upwards slightly, "You did good this time, but Kimimaro still kicked your ass. We're going to have to work on your taijutsu skills some more, and even though you're pretty unpredictable during battle, we're going to have to teach you some more jutsu so that you don't end up being a one-trick-dog."

Naruto glared up at his sensei, he didn't like hearing that he had 'gotten his ass kicked', even if it was true, "I was doing fine…"

Naruto was interrupted by a voice from behind him, "Yeah right up to the point when he cut open your forehead, and _then_ threw you out of the ring without using his hands."

Naruto's glare deepened as he turned his attention on the advancing Sakon, with the ever present Ukon sleeping inside of him. "Yeah and you do _sooo_ much better, right Sa-_kun_?" Naruto made sure to make the last part really cute sounding.

Sakon's eyes blazed with childish fury, "I swear to Kami, that once I find whoever told you that name, I'm going to kill him. Then I'm going to kill you!" He _really_ didn't like being called 'Sa-kun', damn it!

Naruto laughed at that, causing Sakon to become infuriated even more, until he finally couldn't stand the blonde's incessant laughing and stomped off. No doubt planning to throttle both Jiroubou and Kidoumaru both and find out which of them exactly told Naruto his one bane of existence... grammatically incorrect renaming of his birth name.

Senritsu smiled softly behind his scarf, listening to Naruto laugh and interact. The boy didn't really have any past experience with dealing with other people, at least dealing with them in a friendly manner, but over the past couple of weeks he at least had grown surprisingly comfortable around his future teammates.

He especially got along with Kidoumaru and Jiroubou, who he seemed to have the most in common with; Sakon was difficult to get along with at times however, due to all his posturing and bossing around, but Naruto seemed to be rather tolerable of him… so far. Senritsu narrowed his eyes only slightly and only for a moment as Kimimaro walked by him towards the doors exiting the elite training chambers. The pale prodigy barely tried to interact with anyone, instead preferring to remain aloof to the goings on of his classmates; Senritsu couldn't help but notice Naruto's uncomfortable silence as Kimimaro passed nearby. The boy desperately needed human contact and to form connections with others who could understand him, and so did the others, _especially_ Kimimaro and Tayuya. Senritsu sighed, neither Kimimaro or Tayuya had tried to get along with Naruto. Kimimaro ignored everyone as he always did, and Tayuya, on the second day of Naruto being with them, had gotten into a bad habit of trying to start fights with Naruto.

Senritsu sighed again, he didn't know what the Otokage was teaching Kimimaro during their private lessons, but unless someone had the words Orochi- and –maru in their names, and in that order, then they seemed to be considered a waste of his time and space by the boy, except for the explicit purpose of honing his fighting prowess as a ninja. The boy needed someone to talk to, urgently so, or else Senritsu wasn't sure that the boy's sanity would survive for much longer. Senritsu's eyes narrowed again, more so this time, _Not that Orochimaru-__**sama**_ _would really care in the slightest._

Senritsu let go of his slight bout of irritation and instead thought of his other wayward student. Tayuya was going to be rather… troublesome. She insisted on hounding Naruto, during training, their breaks, breakfast, lunch _and_ dinner, and even on their few off days they had. Which had Tayuya pounding on his door 'wondering why he was hiding', since the blonde had locked himself in his room for unknown purposes for the entire day. And what was worse, Senritsu saw Naruto trying his hardest to ignore Tayuya and her jibes, and amazingly this only seemed to drive Tayuya to greater heights of anger and determination. Senritsu allowed himself a small proud smile, it was a wonder the boy hadn't blown up on her yet, and he wouldn't really blame him once he did. Tayuya hadn't done this – at least not to the same extent – to the rest of her classmates or even the vast amounts of students in the mundane Oto-nin academy, which they still took normal rudimentary lessons from before spending the majority of the day having their more advanced lessons with Senritsu. He couldn't quite figure out what was causing Tayuya to do this, though it may be the fact that Naruto had yet to truly divulge his classmates on why exactly he had defected from wherever he was from and come to Otogakure.

Apparently only himself, Kabuto and the Otokage actually knew these things. Of course, this brought up the other thought that had bothered him for a few days now. Why hadn't Naruto told his classmates how he was treated in Konoha? Senritsu put it up to it being too early in his stay here in Oto, it _had_ only been three weeks after all. Senritsu allowed that thought to clear some of his worries for what he believed to be his new favorite student, he was sure that in time Naruto would feel free to share such personal information with his new and upcoming friends. Though whether Tayuya or Kimimaro, or even Sakon, would be privy to such insights would remain to be seen.

Overall Kidoumaru, Jiroubou and even Ukon… when he was awake, seemed to get along just fine with Naruto. But, they were going to be Orochimaru's personal bodyguard when needed, and would have to work together, and even if the Otokage didn't know it, Senritsu knew for a fact that good relations within a group helped said group work almost seamlessly together, like perfectly fitted gears that made the entire clock work.

Senritsu looked back from Kimimaro's receding backside to Naruto who was giving him a rather pensive look for someone who rarely thought before opening his mouth. "…umm, yes Naruto? Did you want something?"

Naruto's look of concentration changed to one of slight irritation, "You _were_ talking about teaching me some new jutsu and improving my fighting… then you kinda zoned out randomly." Naruto waited for an answer, but when his sensei merely stared at him with a confused look, Naruto 'huffed' in exasperation, "Well! Are you going to teach me anything, or are you just going to stare at me like I've got a couple of tails or something?"

Senritsu's eyes widened slightly at the reference to multiple tails, but quickly schooled his features, he doubted the boy actually knew that much about his… _condition._ But he decided to be on the safe side and to take his mind off such things (plus, telling from Naruto's personality type, he would keep bothering him till he taught the loud-mouth something worthwhile). "Alright Naruto, I'd love to teach some new jutsu. What type of jutsu were you going for?"

Naruto screwed up his face in deep thought, he rarely had to think so much when he was back in Konoha, always being on the run and having to think on his feet and rely more on instinct than actual thought to survive. Even in school, Naruto didn't really think a whole lot, he was always late and almost always fell asleep in the middle of the class he arrived to. This was due to long nights of staying up and avoiding villagers who apparently wanted to do bodily harm to him, and there was always someone throwing a brick through his windows. He even had someone blast a hole in his bedroom wall with a basic Katon jutsu before the masked ANBU arrived to cart said fire-spewing person away. Luckily he had been in the bathroom at the time. He didn't know if any of the civilians were apprehended or whether Konoha's small police force actually bothered to track the vandals down, he doubted it, but there was at least someone there to always repair his windows… or his wall, probably because the Hokage had ordered it.

Senritsu on the other hand seemed to make him think more often than not, it seemed his sensei was happy that he was so adept at thinking up strategy on the fly, but the weird jounin had said something that quick wits didn't actually denote real intelligence. Naruto wasn't sure he understood that, or whether he wanted to for that matter. It had only been about a month since he had left Konoha, but Naruto started to notice something slightly different. Instead of this foggy cloudy feeling he always had wrapped around his thoughts, it seemed to be… well, the only way he could describe it was that it felt like it was clearing.

Like he was trying to walk down some sewer tunnel, but he was stuck in the slimy murky water, and the more that he wiggled his feet, the more he was able to move just a little more. Naruto didn't know what was down at the end of that tunnel, but he suddenly realized that he wanted to find out… but first he had to actually get moving, not just struggling and only obtaining the beginnings of movement.

Naruto thought back to the night before. It was one of their off days and all day long, except for his meals, which he had skipped lunch, Naruto had sequestered himself in his room, studying the kinjutsu scroll that Kabuto had given to him. It was filled with some of the strangest jutsu he had ever heard of, and some were probably the most helpful he had ever seen. But, almost all of the jutsu in the scroll were mostly supplementary in nature, with very little that were actually true offensive jutsu. Like one kinjutsu was strange and interesting but Naruto had no idea on what it actually did, all he could remember was that it was called _Gouseiton: Doukasen Kous'etai no Jutsu_ (Five Element Release: Fuse the Element Nature Technique) Naruto had no idea what elemental nature was, or why he'd want to fuse them together, plus he wasn't ready to learn the jutsu yet, it required thirty-two hand seals, some of which he had never seen before, and chakra control that he didn't really think he possessed yet. Naruto thought about this and instead answered his sensei's question with a question of his own, "Ne, Senritsu-sensei, what's Elemental Nature?"

Senritsu felt his eyes go wide at this, he was certain the boy was going to burst a blood vessel in his brain somewhere with how tightly screwed up his face was while concentrating; and instead he was faced with a rather intelligent question that he didn't expect any of his students to be asking until they had already graduated the academy and become genin. "Well, its called Elemental _Chakra _Nature, and to tell you the truth Naruto, I didn't expect you to ask me such a question until you were a tad bit older. But, since you seem to be so curious about it, I guess I could tell you a bit."

Seeing Naruto's eyes light up with instant curiosity, he had been right about the curious part at least, something he valued in Naruto since the boy seemed ready to learn anything he was willing to teach him, and so he delved on. "Well, everyone is born with a certain 'nature', an affinity of sorts, everyone has one, ninja and non-ninja alike. It is the element with which your chakra best identifies with, which means someone with the ability to use chakra can more easily convert their chakra into that specific element, have an easier time wielding said element and tend to learn jutsu that wield their element more quickly and with greater ease."

Senritsu waited a full minute to let this information sink in, until Naruto nodded slowly signaling that he at least understood most of it, "So… in other words if you're born a fire type person, then you're better with fire jutsu and attacks?"

Senritsu nodded, it was impressive how the boy summed up everything he said in a single sentence, "Yes, that is correct Naruto. Now, there are five elements in all, these are Fire, Wind, Lightning, Earth and Water, each reflecting the five different states of nature, solid for earth, liquid for water, gas for wind, heat energy for fire, and finally magnetically charged heat energy, or 'plasma' for lightning. Each element even dictates a bit of the person's personality, whether they're ninja or not. Those of Fire tend to be competitive, but also aggressive and dangerously so. Those of Lightning tend to be fast, whether in mind, learning, or physically, but can also be destructive. Those of Earth are strong, stable and focused, but can also be single-minded, focusing only on one goal at a time, and they tend to be stubborn to a fault. Those of Wind are wild and free, and also a little chaotic, changing their minds and direction in a way that seems to others as utterly random, they also seem to be intelligent, able to figure out solutions to problems quickly. Those of Water are ever changing, and usually emotional, calm as a lake at one moment and then a raging torrent the next. Water types are also probably the most adaptable, able to change when needed, reflecting the three states of water, ice, liquid and steam." Senritsu couldn't help but chuckle a little at the astonished look on the boys face.

Naruto suddenly got a glimmer of inspiration, "Um, can someone have more than one element, or be born with more than one?" Naruto was hooked now, this was more interesting than he thought it would be.

Senritsu again was surprised by the intelligence of the question, "Well, yes actually. Someone can train using chakra manipulation techniques to get better in the other elements, or even master them with enough time, but it is much more difficult outside of your own element that you were born with. As for being born with more than one element… well that's _extremely_ rare, even just to be born with just two. Usually only those of a certain clan, or have a certain bloodline, are born with two elements. Having been born with more than two? That's pretty much unheard of. Of course, not everyone trains their element you must understand, the majority of ninja learn a few jutsu dealing with their element cause they're easier and quicker to learn, then focus on other parts of their technique, such as taijutsu and jutsu that don't deal with element nature, or just have the hand seals that easily convert the nature of their chakra into the desired element."

Senritsu suddenly had his own little insight to inspiration. "Naruto… say, did you want me to train you in your element? I mean _really_ train you, not just teach you some jutsu that uses your element, but also teach you how to convert your chakra into it, and how to incorporate it into your other jutsu and attacks."

Naruto's face would have a made a study in the definition of pure excitement. "Y-you would actually do that for me? Teach me my element? Th-that… that would be so _cool_!" Naruto was having a hard time fighting the sudden wetness that pervaded his eyes, but he was somehow able to keep the emotion down even though it was intense enough to get him choked up on it. "Senritsu-sensei… thank you. Thank you _so_ much. No one's ever done something like this before, except Kabuto-san."

Senritsu smiled, eyes becoming twin upside down 'U's, though unbeknownst to him he had just been added to a very short, but very important list in Naruto's mind. "Well, I suppose if that's the case, then we should probably figure out what your element is, shouldn't we?" Naruto only nodded enthusiastically as, seemingly out nowhere (his back pocket), Senritsu whipped out what seemed to be a small card of white paper. "Here you go Naruto; this little device will tell us what your element is. I carry them around now since I'm a sensei and all."

Taking the slip of paper, Naruto squinted his eyes and studied it with a rather dubious expression. "Device, eh?" Senritsu nodded, his 'eye-smile' plastered on his face still, "It's… a piece of paper." The utter lack of emotion in Naruto's voice was almost enough to make Senritsu sweat-drop. Luckily, however, Senritsu had been expecting this reaction or a somewhat similar one at least.

Senritsu ruffled Naruto's hair, much to the boy's consternation, "Yes Naruto, that _does_ happen to be a piece of paper in your hand." The green-eyed jounin held up one finger, catching Naruto's attention as he once again entered lecture-mode, "However, it is not just an ordinary slip of paper. The piece of paper in your hand was made from the wood of a chakra tree. A type of tree that has literally been nourished with chakra as it grew, until it got big enough for us ninja to harvest a branch or two every year to make these handy little slips of paper. You see, the paper is chakra paper, and is therefore extremely sensitive to chakra and chakra type effects, and therefore it will be able to tell us what your elemental affinity is." Senritsu tapped the paper in Naruto's hand, "All you have to do is channel some chakra into this here paper, and it will tell us what your element is. Go on ahead, it's not hard."

Naruto grinned, "Finally, something easy! I thought I'd have to spend a week on top of a mountain meditating or something like that." At Senritsu's confused look Naruto decided to elaborate, "Uh… saw something like that in one of Kidoumaru's kung fu movies." Naruto looked at the piece of paper as if it were a hurdle to be jumped; he was going to find out something about himself, uncovering one more mystery that was the orphan Uzumaki Naruto.

Naruto took a deep breath and called up the chakra inside of him. He felt the rush of adrenaline and endorphins as the spiritual energy moved through his chakra network, from the base of his spine up and throughout his body, focusing most around his stomach and heart, using his body's own energy to make energy. It always felt like that, like he was on some sort of thrill ride, moving at high speeds as warm, cascading energy filled him. He could remember all the kids doing it for the first time, and all of the astonished expressions on their faces… if it hadn't been so hard to call it up at such a young age, he was sure he would have done it all the time, just for that feeling. Though now, three years later, the rush wasn't as profound as it was that very first time, but nonetheless it still felt good. Naruto directed the flowing energy inside of him towards his hands and then pushed out and into the slip of paper. All in all the process took about two seconds.

Senritsu felt nothing at first, and then the little jigsaw puzzle in his head clicked together within a split second. His breath caught as his eyes grew wide and dilated, and Senritsu actually took a step back from what he was looking at. He couldn't believe it. He _couldn't_ believe it…

"Ne, Senritsu-sensei… uh, it split down the middle… then it kinda smoked for a bit, what does that mean exactly?" Naruto was intently staring at the two smoldering 'half slips' of paper in his hand, trying to figure out what element it was exactly.

Wind. Fire. Wind and fire. Wind _and_ fire. "Holy shit of Kami…"

Naruto looked up at his sensei's rather derogatory terminology, "Uh, is there something wrong sensei?" Naruto was now looking at the chakra paper as if it might be dangerous.

Senritsu started laughing, and couldn't stop, earning an irritated glare from his student. But before Naruto could retort, Senritsu held up a hand as he attempted to gain control of himself. Supporting himself on his knees and trying to catch his breath, Senritsu figured he was able to talk, "No, no Naruto, there is nothing wrong. Senritsu looked up and squatted so he was more eye level with the boy. Naruto, the paper split in half because your element is wind."

Naruto frowned pensively, "Then… why did it start to smoke, too?"

Senritsu smiled with a sparkle in his bright green eyes. "That, Naruto, is because your element is fire."

"But, you just said my element was wind!"

"Yes, it is."

"Huh, but you also just said it was fire!"

"Yes, _it is._"

"What the hell are you going on about? First you say its wind, and then you say its fire, how can I be _both_ wi-…nd, and… fire… oh." Naruto was staring dumbfounded at Senritsu, then at the chakra paper in his hand, then Senritsu, then back at the paper, and then finally Senritsu again, "Y-you, mean… I have… I… element… have?"

Senritsu smiled his customary eye smile, "Yes Naruto, you are one of the extremely rare and lucky few who have not one but _two_ elemental affinities. You, Naruto, are both Wind and Fire nature!"

It only took about three seconds for it to sink in.

"oooOOOOOOhhHHHHH yyyYYYYYEEEAAAAAHHhhhh!" Naruto pumped his fist in the air and started running circles around Senritsu, "yesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes!" This was awesome! He had not one, but _two_ elements to work with, _and_ Senritsu was going to really teach him how to use them. This couldn't get any better!

Oh, how so very wrong he was.

The green-eyed jounin mused for a moment as he watched the boy let out his excitement. He was pretty sure that Naruto's normal, and probably stronger affinity was his Wind nature. He probably was naturally attuned to the element of Fire due to his _condition_ as a jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. He didn't know too much about the Bijuu and their containers, but he had learned some. The Nine-tails, as all kitsune spirits, was known for its use of fire and how it seemed to enjoy burning everything around it while at the same time demolishing the land with its immense size and strength.

From what Senritsu knew of the other Bijuu he had to wonder if Naruto would, with his 'prisoner's' help, be able to combine his Wind and Fire natures into one of the elements only seen in some Kekkei Genkai. Wind and Fire would create Shakuton, specifically. Scorch element.

Senritsu had only seen one ninja who had used it, and she was from Sunagakure no Sato. She had been hunting him at one point in time when he was still a nukenin and Suna had gotten wind of him being in the area.

And now she was dead. By Senritsu's own hands actually. He forwned, banishing said memories. That was neither here nor there, and he personally didn't want to remember old debts he had created. Plus, he could wonder about the possibility of Naruto combining his two elements later when the boy was actually ready to learn something like that... if he even could of course.

Senritsu stuck out a hand and waited for the boy to make another pass, grabbing his head to bring a stop to his running in circles. Naruto stopped laughing, "Huh? What is it Senritsu-sensei?" Naruto felt his little adrenaline high fade somewhat at the serious expression on his sensei's face.

Senritsu made sure to let his student know through his voice and eyes that what he was about to say was extremely serious. "Naruto, the vast majority of ninja in this world really only begin to learn about element natures and affinities when they've hit about mid-chuunin level and, even then, they only learn the basics of their element if they're able to find someone capable in chakra nature and chakra manipulation training. It means that most who begin to learn this stuff are at about five to seven years older than you are at the moment. You may be one of, or maybe even, _the_ youngest to ever learn how to fully and truly wield their elements."

Naruto's grin suddenly split his face in twain as he realized just how lucky he really was, but before he could say anything, Senritsu stalled him and spoke first, "But even though I'll be teaching you a lot of jutsu that have to deal with your elements, and teaching you how to manipulate and change your chakra with your elements, I'll also be teaching you something that, as far as I know, I'm the only one that knows; because I'm the one who made it up."

If Naruto's grin could get any wider without bisecting his face in half, it just did. "What is it that you're going to teach me?"

Senritsu smiled, "I don't know what it's called, since I haven't thought of a name for it yet."

Naruto's sweat drop was rather obvious, "Then… what _is_ it exactly?"

Senritsu regained some of his seriousness and tried his best to explain it. "Well, it involves your chakra, but not using it in any known jutsu. Instead of converting your body's energy into chakra and then immediately expelling it, you instead build it up as if you're going to do a really big jutsu and then… you hold it in."

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at that (Senritsu didn't think eight year olds were capable of that, but now he had been proven wrong), "And, why would you do that exactly? If you hold the chakra in for too long before you do the jutsu it just starts to leak off of you doesn't it?"

Senritsu nodded, "Exactly! That's the whole point!" At Naruto's look, which was a study in the mixtures of irritation, confusion and down right exasperation, Senritsu continued. "You see, usually when the chakra leaks off of you, or even when you gather too much for your body to hold, or for some reason expel it from your body, such as what you did to that little chakra card, it usually appears as a glowing aura of energy, usually blue, a different shade for everyone. However! With this, instead of just letting raw, unrefined and unmodified chakra escape from your body, you instead change its nature, usually matching your element, or elements, in your case. By doing this you would, for example, be constantly giving off fire chakra or wind chakra, or maybe even both. You could have this as an aura of fire or wind surrounding your body, or you could force it out through your hands as a blast of wind or a stream of fire! Do you get it now?"

Naruto's eyes were cerulean blue saucer's of wonder now. "Y-you mean, I could do jutsu… without actually performing jutsu?"

Senritsu eye smiled at his student's impressive ability at brevity after figuring something out, "Yes Naruto, basically you could do jutsu without actually performing the jutsu." Senritsu held up a hand to silence Naruto before he could make anymore exclamations, "There's a catch to all of this though Naruto."

Naruto's happy façade ended abruptly at hearing this, "W-what is it?"

Senritsu sighed, "Well… I don't think an explanation is quite enough for this, so I suppose I will show you. Be honored Naruto, you will be the first to ever witness this technique other than myself." _...and still be alive afterwards..._

Naruto felt a little worried, his sensei was being utterly serious, something that happened rarely and for only very short periods of time. Usually by now, Senritsu would have made some sort of joke at Naruto's expense, but the seriousness was still set heavily in his 'too-green' eyes. "Um… sensei? Is everything okay?"

For a moment Senritsu's spring green eyes lit up with the mischievousness that Naruto had begun to associate with his sensei over the past three days. Only for a moment though. "Yes Naruto, everything is okay. This is important though that you see this and understand how much farther you have to go before you get where you want to be. Not only that, but I've kept this technique secret from everyone other than myself, and of course, Orochimaru-sama, who doesn't see much value in it since he doesn't use it himself. So, in other words, after seeing this Naruto I need you to keep this quiet, okay? It can only be something we speak of when we are having our private lessons."

Senritsu held up his hand once again to forestall Naruto's question, "Yes, you and I are now going to be having private lessons, probably for part of your off day, and for at least a couple of hours after normal lessons. It's going to be a lot of work, so you'll need the extra training time."

Senritsu looked around the training room, noting that no one but Naruto and he were currently present. Then walked onto the Trid and stood in its center, "Naruto, stay outside of the Trid while I do this, I don't want any accidents happening." Naruto quietly obeyed, for once deciding to keep his mouth shut and observe quietly… interestingly, he didn't find it that hard to do. He'd have to look into that more.

Then Senritsu began to move.

Naruto had never seen anything like it. Senritsu had taken a wide and low stance as he held his arms up so that the elbows were sticking out and he bent his hands inward, bringing his pointer fingers together, just touching at the tips, in front of his chest. For a moment nothing happened, the brown haired jounin just breathed. Then, just as suddenly, he inhaled and exhaled violently and started to move his arms. It looked to Naruto as if he were trying to 'scoop' something unseen out of the air with his pointer fingers, making it look like he was pointing all over the place. But, it was graceful and smooth with slow measured movements; it actually looked like he was moving something physical with his fingers, with how he seemed to be straining his muscles. Plus, with each sweep of his arms, he breathed in deeply, and then out slowly, seeming to increase the strength and length of each breath as he continued to move, Naruto didn't think a pair of lungs could hold so much air with each breath. Then he suddenly _felt_ it. It slammed into him with the force of a falling brick wall, though it did not push him physically, but he could feel it for it dealt with chakra. His sensei had been gathering chakra the entire time, and instead of releasing it and flaring it, he just kept holding it in, until finally… a leak busted. He was holding so much that his chakra was now streaming out from his body just as if someone were to hold their thumb over a hose, making the flow stronger, even though the same amount of water was coming out. Naruto, though only a novice ninja, could normally sense chakra signatures, the bigger the signature the easier it was to sense and find. This was a huge amount of chakra, as to be expected of a ninja of jounin rank, but Naruto couldn't understand how he had been able to build up _so_ much within his body without Naruto being able to sense it. Naruto's eyes widened as he realized suddenly what his sensei was doing exactly, he wasn't moving just nothing, Senritsu was somehow actually moving the chakra within and around him by using the movement of his body. What he was doing with it however, Naruto had no clue.

The air around Naruto started to get thicker as Senritsu's power continued to increase and sparks and arcs of electricity started to dance across his skin and clothing. Soon the air pressure was great enough that Naruto could actually feel his eight year old lungs start to labor just to take a breath; and just when he thought he couldn't take anymore and would have to ask his sensei to stop, Senritsu let out another violent breath and moved once again.

Senritsu blurred as he moved, twisting and turning as he struck and then struck again. Fist and foot were nothing but blurs as the jounin moved. But that wasn't what was astonishing to Naruto. With every punch, with every kick, Senritsu's limbs emitted what Naruto could only call 'energy'. It was whitish blue in color, and even though it initially looked like fire in shape, it snapped and sizzled as each blast of the energy was sent hurtling forth into the wall at lightning fast speeds… _lightning._ _Senritsu's_ _shooting lightning from his fists and feet!_

The blasts of plasma were hitting the opposite wall from the doors, and Naruto could only watch as the stone and wood wall was pummeled with bolt after explosive bolt of lightning. It was so _fast_. Senritsu did not let up a moment, moving at the same rate the entire time and, if anything, was gaining more and more speed as his attacks started to become larger and more dramatic. Naruto had to cover his ears as the originally fist sized bolts of plasma suddenly became basketball sized, not to mention Senritsu was jumping up and spinning, making sweeping motions with his feet now and sending 'arcs' of lightning slamming into the wall and only adding to the dust cloud that now obscured the damage being dealt.

Naruto's eyes were hurting from trying to follow his sensei's blurring form and from the rapid bright flashes of lightning that left after images in his retinas, not to mention his ears were getting sore, even with his hands over them, as each blast of plasma was followed by explosions of thunder that rocked the training room. But Naruto couldn't tear his eyes away, it was… _beautiful_, like poetry, art or… music. Really, really fast music. Music where the instrument was destruction and the conductor death itself.

Suddenly Senritsu leapt into the air, spinning a full 360 degrees, momentarily stopping the endless barrage as he ripped his ever present scarf from his face. Naruto, however, could not see his sensei's face, for as Senritsu landed he screamed at the wall he had been attacking relentlessly. It was a primal scream, full of the violence and testosterone that made men, men. More than that though, Naruto was briefly blinded as a _beam_ of lightning shot from the jounin's mouth, looking all to the world like some massive laser cannon as the plasma spiraled towards the wall and impacted with an eardrum shattering sonic boom. Luckily, Naruto had his ears covered and could easily regenerate the small ruptures in his ear canals.

Naruto shook his head to quickly clear his sight, though he was going to have a purple afterimage streak blocking his vision for the rest of the day, and ran up onto the Trid to check on his sensei. Senritsu had somehow put back on his scarf, just as if he had never removed it, and was currently laying down with his eyes closed, sweat upon his brow, and his chest rising and falling with the labored breathing of someone who had physically exhausted themselves. Naruto squashed the urge to spite his sensei and just rip off the scarf covering the lower half of his face, and instead crouched down next to his exhausted teacher. "Um, Senritsu-sensei? That was amazing…"

"Yes, Naruto, I'm glad you enjoyed it, but did you see what I was trying to show you?"

Naruto grimaced as he put the relatively rusty gears of his mind back to work once again. He thought back to the movements, and the immense chakra he felt right before Senritsu unleashed his barrage of destruction on the poor unsuspecting wall. Which, now that the cloud of smoke and debris had cleared, Naruto could see a twenty foot wide section of the wall was covered in pockmarks and craters. The middle area was just simply a big craggy hole of smoldering glass. It took an effort, but Naruto was able to slide the pieces into place rather quickly after analyzing everything he had just seen, another thing he wasn't used to doing.

"Um, it uses _a lot_ of chakra, I think. Not to mention how much control you'd need to convert raw chakra into your element with just the movement of your body. That and you're also always giving off chakra at the same time. So not only are you giving off large amounts of chakra, but you have to keep doing it as long as you keep on attacking with the technique. I think all the slow movements you were doing before hand was to get your chakra built up and also to convert it into your element by moving your body that way. So, in other words, I need lots of chakra, I need to expel it constantly, and I need to maintain control at all times or… what happens if I don't do all of those?"

Senritsu chuckled weakly, "Well first off, yes, the movements I was doing were actually to convert the chakra in my body and the chakra outside my body into a ready state where it would be easy to manifest it as lightning. I did this without blood, seals, chakra form manipulation, or even hand seals. I merely used the movement of my body to transform my chakra into pure lightning, which I then proceeded to wield without impunity on our poor training wall."

Naruto looked towards the destroyed wall, and imagined that being a person or a small house even. Amazing.

"And as for your question Naruto, if you don't give off the large amount of chakra, you don't have enough to wield your element; for some reason, probably because you don't use hand seals, it requires copious amounts of chakra to use effectively. If you don't have enough, you simply won't be able to do it. Something you don't have to worry about, Naruto. You, as you well know, have an extremely high amount of stamina and chakra. The highest I've ever seen, you actually have about two to three times as much as I do."

Naruto raised his eyebrows in astonished disbelief at that statement. He knew it took him longer than everyone else he'd ever known to tire down or pass out from exhaustion during class exercises. But he didn't know he had _that _much chakra at his disposal. Now that he actually thought about it, it explained why he could use the Kage Bunshin so well, it didn't require amazing chakra control, the jutsu itself automatically converted the required chakra into working solid bunshins, dependent on how much chakra he pumped into the technique; and he could make _a __**lot**_ of kage bunshins. He stopped musing on that for a moment and got back to the conversation about the new technique he was destined to learn eventually, "What about the constant flaring of the chakra? And what about maintaining control?"

Senritsu smiled, his new student sure asked a lot of questions, which was wonderful really. The more the boy asked, the more he indulged and the more the boy learned. "You have to continuously emit that large amount of chakra because if you don't, you again don't have any chakra to work with, and because of this I can only use this technique safely a couple of times a day; after that, I risk physical damage and chakra exhaustion, which could kill me. Anyways, while I was throwing those blasts of lightning around, I was using my body to make the chakra, which was expelled to the outside from the pressure inside, and then I was literally using the floating chakra around me and forming it into raw lightning that I was able to do with as I pleased. As for control, without the proper level of control, you couldn't even take the chakra surrounding you and form it into the element that you want. If you are able to do the technique, however, and then lose control while wielding the element, the technique blows up in your face… literally. Your own attacks my backfire, or just do utterly random things, or attack the wrong place or person, potentially harming or even killing you or your friends as well." Senritsu sighed and scratched the back of his head in a fair imitation of Naruto himself, "I, after all, was developing this technique myself, so I had to go a step at a time with trial and error. Trust me, errors are bad things usually, nearly lost my head a few times."

Seeing Naruto's ashen face though, Senritsu quickly moved to rectify his comment, "_But_, I already know how to use the technique now, I've pretty much mastered it. So with my guidance, you'll be able to learn it much faster than I did, and also avoid any pitfalls along the way." This seemed to brighten the eight year old's demeanor considerably.

"When do we get to start!" the boy's energy was enviable.

Senritsu shook his head at the boy's inexhaustible supply of stamina, "We start tomorrow, of course. But as you can see, however, I'm not really in the condition to continue training." The exhausted jounin tilted his head back to get a look at the clock hanging above the doors to the dorm hall, "Hm, we've been at this for about an hour and a half now. Your classmates are probably going to start wondering where you are. You should go, we'll continue this tomorrow."

Naruto frowned, "Uh, don't you think they would've heard all the explosions? I don't know why they haven't come in here yet to see if we were being attacked or something."

Senritsu smiled, half-moon crescents hiding his eye color, "That's because this room is _sound proof_. That way, if I ever get annoyed, I can kill all of you without anyone knowing." All of this said with a smile on his face and heart above his head.

Naruto sweat dropped and without another word stood up and exited the training area, leaving his sensei to fend for himself as he attempted to find the energy to stand again.

* * *

"Hey! Baka! What were you and Senritsu-sensei up to after training! I left one of my kunai in the training room and the doors were locked! WELL, Fuck-face? Kami, you'd think that blonde hair of yours sucks out all your intelligence or something!"

"Tayuya, do ya mind? We're all tryin' to kinda eat dinner here, ya know?" Kidoumaru was finishing up on his meatloaf, but was finding it difficult when his attention kept being taken away by a loud-mouth redhead berating a not-normally quiet blonde. He didn't really understand why the whiskered boy didn't do anything when Tayuya started hounding him like this. He, Jiroubou and Sakon snapped at her, and she wasn't even yelling at them as much as she used to. He didn't understand it, but he figured it had to do with something about their newest classmate not divulging a whole lot of information about his past. He could understand that, he himself after all hadn't told Naruto how he came to Oto exactly either, it just hadn't come up; but he remembered himself, Jiroubou, and Sakon and Ukon telling her their pasts when she first came, even though she didn't reveal anything about herself. He _did_ remember her trying to yell at Kimimaro for not telling them about his past life before Oto, but had quickly given up when Kimimaro had threatened to _kill_ her if she didn't stop being annoying. That had stopped her from yelling around him for about a week until she realized she could still yell, just not _at_ him.

Kidoumaru sighed; he guessed that she just liked being in the know, even if she had only given the rest of her classmates small hints to why she had been ousted from her own village, or wherever she came from. Now, here was someone else not willing to share their past and, unlike Kimimaro, he wasn't threatening her (plus he was younger by a couple of years), and he still wasn't giving her the information she wanted. Kidoumaru shrugged and tried to get back to his meal, it must be one of those weird emotional defense thingies that they learned about in Psychology class with the other academy students.

Of course, now that Kidoumaru had opened his mouth, Tayuya's ire was immediately directed away from Naruto and towards him. Kidoumaru sighed and tried to eat his food while the foul language tried to beat his eardrums to a pulp, he was surprised Jiroubou hadn't said anything about Tayuya's swearing until he looked out of the corner of his eye and saw the big kid eating while wearing a couple of oversized headphones. _I knew I shouldn't have let him borrow those… now I'll never get 'em back. _

Naruto had let the tirade wash over him like a rock weathering the crashing waves along a violent coast the entire time. Of course, even a solid rock would eventually be worn down by the relentless ocean of obscene words that made up most of Tayuya's vocabulary. _Why won't she ever stop?_

It had been an entire month since he had begun his elemental training with Senritsu. Everyone was pretty curious at first, but after Naruto wouldn't give them any clarifying answers, pretty much all of them, including Kimimaro, put it up to the fact that Senritsu had taken a special interest in Naruto and had finally decided on a personal apprentice; much the same as what Orochimaru had done with Kimimaro. _If they only knew,_ Naruto hadn't informed any of them of the fact that it was elemental training, or the fact that he had _two_ elements, keeping his promise to sensei to not disclose any information on his special training. He wasn't even sure if any of them would know what elemental nature and affinity was anyways, except Kimimaro maybe.

Naruto blocked out the screaming from the redheaded terror sitting two seats from him with Sakon in between both of them, and instead went over the events of his two hour 'after training session' with his sensei. Today, he had just mastered his second elemental jutsu… _finally_. Jutsu took forever to truly master, and had taken two weeks of constant, diligent training to master each. One for each of his elements, his first being one for his wind element, _Fuuton: Shinkuu Taigyoku_. With this particularly nasty jutsu, Naruto sucked in an unimaginably large amount of air after gathering the chakra and performing the required Tiger and Dog hand seals, then exhaling he sent a 'bullet' of chakra enhanced air that was the shape of , and as big as a beach ball. It traveled faster than sound and could explode boulders.

Naruto didn't know how his sensei got the boulders into the training room, and knowing his teacher's sense of humor, he didn't really want to know. The second jutsu, which was for his fire element, was a piece of cake to learn; however, it took him a whole week of working with it until he could get it larger than a clenched fist and hotter than a mere conventional oven. _Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ was extremely useful as a pure power jutsu that decimated enemies. Creating a large ball of flame in front of the user, the jutsu had short range but could, when mastered, melt rock into magma and turn mundane metal into slag (something he had really enjoyed doing to his sensei's kunai… much to Senritsu's displeasure).

He had also been working on pure chakra control, which was definitely needed before he learned higher level jutsu, and especially before he learned his sensei's special technique, which he still hadn't thought of a name for. A small vein appeared on the blonde's forehead as he remembered the fact that no matter how much he pushed and prodded his teacher into coming up with a name for such an amazing technique, the man would just smile that irritating smile and say _"Oh… I'll come up with a name eventually. Don't worry about it!"_

Naruto supposed it wasn't that big of a deal, but he'd prefer to be able to put a name to what he would eventually be learning. It had only taken about two weeks, but Naruto could now climb walls using just his chakra enhanced feet to stick to pretty much any surface, and with a little more effort could walk on water without really concentrating too much (he also didn't want to know how his sensei had gotten a small pond into the training room either).

Also, at his sensei's behest, Naruto had started to visit the library. Senritsu would give him a list of books on basic jutsu, hand seals, taijutsu and the like and Naruto would check them out and read them for an hour or two before he went to bed, which was usually after dinner and after he had hung out with Kidou' and Jirou' for a bit, and sometimes Sakon and Ukon, when Ukon felt up to it. He was _amazed_ at first. He had never read a whole lot when he was in Konoha, probably due to the fact that the librarian probably hated him and he knew for a fact that most of his teachers hated, or if he was lucky, were wary of him. So, he pretty much avoided books since he figured it would be too much of a hassle. But now, with pretty much unrestricted access to a library bigger than the one he saw in Konoha, Naruto realized his love for an activity that he didn't think would ever suit his personality. Reading.

He couldn't help it, to him books were better than the games that Jiroubou and Kidoumaru always played, and better than any of his normal daydreams. Naruto quite literally lost himself in the text filled pages, his mind working as it never had before. He would become so absorbed that it was easy to ignore Tayuya's nightly rap on his door and the muffled yell that he was 'a blonde retard and she didn't know why she even bothered to train with him,' or something along those lines. A couple of times he found himself going to bed anywhere from two to four a.m. in the morning. Not that it seemed to faze him that much, his stamina and healing seemed to make up for any lack of sleep, but he still preferred to get his eight hour sleep cycle after reading a bit of biology.

Yeah, biology, arithmetic too, also he had started on some folklore and fantasy which he tended to lose himself in a little too much at times. He read about the history of the ninja world and stored it like an organized file drawer. He read poetry and prose, history on any subject he could find, math, the myriad subjects of science, fiction in general, biographies, ninjutsu books, an old book on demons and summons, he even once read a two-inch thick volume on 'EVERYTHING you need to know on how to cook Ramen and its finer points' from front to back, plus a couple of (thinner) guides on basic cooking in general.

It was as if… as if his mind had all this time been a dried sponge, or a suffocating fish or, or… a bird with a broken wing. A wing broken because of the cruelty of society, and also because of that cruelty, no one ever bothered to even _try_ to heal that broken wing. Naruto, in a sense, had been a cripple for the better part of the eight years of his life. All his classmates and peers (and his teachers) back at Konoha academy had thought him mentally handicapped, when in fact it went far deeper than that. In truth, Naruto was not stupid, not even average, or above average. The blonde haired 'dobe' was intelligent… _extremely_ so. He had only shown this aptitude when bodily threatened or occasionally during a challenging battle, and always it merely showed itself as quick-wits, or street smarts, or just plain luck… when in fact it was the workings of an _intelligent_ mind that had never had any stimulation once or ever, and was forced to basically work with something that was capable, but had never been truly tested. Like a rusty gear that was the center of one vast and complex machine, but had never been cleaned, polished or oiled and was forced to work in only the most dire of circumstances.

Now, he didn't even need his sensei to give him a list of books to grab, or to force him into the library proper (which he had had to do the first time… literally dragging the blonde by the sash of his Oto robes). The books were like salves and bandages, and over time he could _feel_ his 'wing' healing, until now…

… Now, he soared like the wind that was his element.

That 'gear' that was his brain and ran the rest of his body had been, over the past month, cleaned, polished to a shine and given enough oil and lube to squeeze an elephant through a mouse hole. And now… now he could truly regret not being able to read any books when he was five. Not that he didn't know how to read, he learned in the orphanage and the academy, he just couldn't really get a hold on any books and didn't think that he really needed to at the time. His mind was full of knowledge that swam through his head every minute of the day, and he could still hold more. How much would he know now if he had been given access to even the civilian public library back in Konoha? Whatever animosity he may have towards the village of his birth only seemed to heighten and increase at those thoughts. To be treated like some bumbling idiot when he was far from it, or at least Senritsu was the one who kept calling him a veritable genius, Naruto still thought of himself as only average intelligence. He would cede the fact that he was _far_ more intelligent than he was a mere two months ago when he met Kabuto for the first time… but a genius? Come on, seriously?

Of course, it _was _hard to explain to himself how he was learning so fast and so much in a relatively short time… maybe it was… No. He quickly squashed such thoughts and tried to continue thinking about his training.

But, of course, Fate did not deem him worthy of such a reprieve.

"Hey! HEY! I've been trying to get your attention here for like the past five minutes! What the hell were you thinking about… or _not_ thinking about that you didn't even hear me?"

_Geez, will it ever stop?_ Naruto ignored the insult that he was incapable of thinking about anything, or at least anything profound, when he zoned out and instead worked on finishing his food.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me all the time, you prick! I'm talking to you jackass, and I want to know what the hell you're doing all the time with _our_ sensei! What the fuck is so special about you anyway that we can't know what's up too?" Tayuya by now was standing out of her seat at the dining table so she could attempt to loom at him over Sakon's and Ukon's heads.

Naruto almost raised his eyebrows in mild interest, was that… _jealousy_ he detected in her voice? … nah.

Why didn't he just yell back? Why didn't he just put her in her place and make her stop irritating the hell out of him? Why? Because he was different now, if his mind worked the same as it had a month ago he admitted that his patience probably would've been worn down by now and he'd have snapped on her awhile ago. But that was no longer the case, matter of fact, when he thought about it, he couldn't believe he had been so starved for attention back in Konoha that he had had to be loud and annoying to get any attention at all. Regardless of whether it was positive or not. Sadly it was usually not, and that hadn't stopped him in the least. Also, he couldn't really figure out why Tayuya was hounding him more than the others. Was it because he was new? Or was it some other reason that he had yet to divine? He couldn't quite figure it out, though it seemed to tickle at the back of his mind constantly. He did notice, however, that she yelled at him for not telling them more about himself, and for also keeping secrets from his future teammates.

Of course, he didn't bother pointing out that _she too_ didn't share much about herself, which would of probably just upset her more. He wasn't going to tell her more about himself until she calmed down and at least tried to act friendly, and he wasn't going to fight back until he knew exactly what it was about him that pissed her off so much. Though his new stoic, and rather silent, attitude towards her seemed to piss her off even more, as if he was insulting her with his silence. The other reason he didn't yell at her was because he had taken to heart the things his sensei had said on his very first day in Oto when he had met his classmates for the very first time:

"_Don't mind Tayuya, Naruto, she's like that because she's had the hardest time out of everyone here, except maybe Kimimaro. She learned to deal with her problems by being mean to everyone else who was mean to her. So even though she may be mean at first and not like you, just understand that she's been through a lot, okay?"_

Naruto didn't know what she had gone through that had made her like that, or what was so different about her that had made her act like that in the first place. Apparently, the rest of the team knew a little bit, but couldn't say anything to him themselves.

Naruto respected that, and respected the fact that it was Tayuya's prerogative whether she'd tell him anything about herself… other than the 'fact' that she could and would kick the living shit out of him and that she apparently didn't like him. The constant tirades from her though were getting rather… _tiring_, though, and he could feel his patience slowly ebbing each day he had to put up with her harsh teasing and jibes at his intelligence and secrecy. He didn't mean to be mysterious, no one else seemed to mind but Tayuya, and he figured he'd let Kidoumaru, Jiroubou, Sakon (and Ukon) and maybe even Kimimaro know about his past if they asked. But they had never asked, and seemed content to wait until he was ready to tell them, which when he thought about it, he didn't think he was really ready.

The fear of being known as "That boy", or "Trash", or… _"Demon"_ still seemed too much for him to trust his new found friends to such an extent. They were indeed his first ever real friends, and it was the greatest feeling in the world to have people like Jiroubou, Kidoumaru, Ukon and even the moody Sakon as people who seemed to actually care a little about him. They were dear to him though, and he would never betray them, but past experiences and ingrained paranoia stopped him from sharing everything about himself.

Kimimaro, as polite as he was, was still too distant for Naruto to trust him immoderately. Plus, as polite and quiet speaking as the white haired Kaguya was, Naruto couldn't help but associate him with the quiet brooding type that his past classmate, Uchiha Sasuke, pretty much embodied.

Naruto was surprised that he even remembered the raven-haired boy's name. Another obvious benefit of a clean and well working mind was a much clearer memory and ability to call up those memories.

The boy may seem polite upfront, but Naruto could now easily tell that the bone-user was arrogant and prideful, obviously considering himself to be better than his classmates and probably most Oto genin in Otogakure. Naruto didn't really care, he was still beaten every time he went against Kimimaro, he was impressive in blending his taijutsu with his bone morphing Kekkei Genkai, and nearly impossible to beat in close range combat, and even at long range it was difficult to land a hit on such an agile and flexible opponent. _No one_ had won against Kimimaro so far in their sparring matches during class.

Much to everyone else's dismay, Naruto noticed that fewer of them were winning against him, Sakon winning the most while everyone else started to lag behind. Naruto noticed that it was a blow to their egos at first that an eight year old could beat kids who were all taller and older than him by two years, but they eventually just got over it apparently, glad it was someone they knew and hung out with other than some random kid from the Oto academy… that would've just been embarrassing.

Tayuya though… Naruto had yet to figure out what he was going to do about her. He couldn't just wait for three years when she graduated with the others and became a genin and left him behind, because his sensei had _happily_ shattered that hope. Apparently, he was doing so well that Senritsu was sure he'd be graduating with the rest of the class, except Kimimaro of course who would more than likely… no, _would definitely_ be graduating a year before the others, if not earlier. Naruto sighed at his predicament after finishing his bowl of ramen and plate of sukiyaki (it looked gross with all the vegetables, but was surprisingly tasty… it was Kidoumaru's favorite food by far… they seemed to argue quite a bit about the merits of ramen and sukiyaki). He stacked his bowl and plate and handed it to the cook behind the counter and jumped off his stool (they were all still just short of their feet touching the ground when sitting).

He was going to head back to his room when he noticed that a certain redhead was walking beside him while simultaneously yelling at him. This was new, she hadn't actually followed him back to his room before, he would've asked her to stop following him, but he was curious as to what she was planning on doing, and even more so he didn't know how she'd react if he did ask. Probably negatively, really negatively.

As they walked out of the cafeteria and through the stone halls towards their own little corner of home, Naruto took notice that most of the other ninja, a few academy students their age, a teenage genin, and even some adults tried to avoid looking at Tayuya as much as possible and hurried on by or took a sudden turn down a side hall when they seemed to be walking in their direction. Tayuya's foul mouth was well known, and no one, _no one_ wanted to be in the way of such sound-induced terrorism. Naruto noticed that he was getting weird looks also. Some curious as to who he was, some who recognized him smiled or nodded their heads, while others just looked at him with a wondering look like, '… how crazy are you?'

Yep, Tayuya was very well known in Otogakure.

When they finally arrived in the 'elite' training hallway, Tayuya had yet to show any sign of changing direction or ceasing her following. He was just glad that about halfway there she had finally stopped yelling and instead had walked, or more like stalked, beside him in sullen silence. That at least was normal, she eventually would wind down when he didn't say anything back and would just fume in silence and send him glares and other nasty looks.

They walked up to his door and as he opened it and walked through his threshold into his room, he spun on his heel, turning around suddenly to face Tayuya. She had, unexpectedly, been only about two inches from him, apparently planning on following him into his own room, something she had never done before.

With a startled 'EEP', which Naruto thought strangely girlish coming from the tougher-than-rocks redhead, Tayuya jumped back about two feet to put as much distance between them as possible. Her face was extremely red, which Naruto dismissed as apparent anger and before she could even open her mouth to yell at him, he spoke, "Tayuya, why were you following me? And why were you about to follow me into my room?"

The utter calmness, more so than the actual words, seemed to startle Tayuya even more. Normally he'd be acting hyper or angry, but he rarely showed the others his new developing 'serious side' as Jiroubou had dubbed it, and no one was around right now but himself and Tayuya. So he figured he could afford to act like how he felt… which at the moment wasn't giddy hyperness, or even anger, more like exasperation with a hint of irritation. His voice was able to plainly convey his current emotions.

Tayuya puffed up, the redness in her face spreading even more, only confirming that she really _had_ been angry the entire time at him, but instead of swearing at him… she _stuttered,_ "W-well, I don't know! I… I don't have to give you a reason!" okay, more like stuttering while yelling, but still, she stuttered, something Naruto had yet to see her do.

Naruto quirked an eyebrow at the redhead's flustered voice, "If you _want_ to come into my room, you could ask you know. Though, it's not like you'd ever let me into your room if I asked."

This seemed to only make Tayuya more flustered, and maybe a little confused, "Oh yeah! Well if you did ask… I… I… I would!" Tayuya suddenly looked down, unable to look the blonde in the eye, and unable to believe what she had just said. Her face promptly turned from a bright red to pure crimson.

Naruto raised both eyebrows at this. From the red face and the fact that she was clenching her hands into fists while not making eye contact with him probably meant she had just said that to prove him wrong and out of sheer anger. "I don't believe you, and even if you did, it would be to trick me into some trap, or to pin me down so you could berate me, or just beat me until I gave you the answers you wanted. Which is what you were probably planning on doing just now in my own room, correct?" Naruto let just a hint of anger creep into his voice, just a hint though.

If anyone had walked by and heard Naruto's diatribe, they would be wondering whether the boy really was only eight years old. Now Naruto was sure the red in the girl's face wasn't just anger, but a hint of embarrassment. Probably just upset that she had been caught in something she was hoping wasn't overtly obvious.

Tayuya shook her head stubbornly, "Th-that's not true."

The stuttering was definitely something new, and Naruto couldn't understand why she was doing it, he expected her to just yell the bold faced lie at him in anger like she usually did. "Yes it is Tayuya." Naruto's anger only surfaced for a split second once again, but he quickly suppressed it. The old Naruto probably would've let that anger get out of control and this confrontation would've dissolved into a screaming match, maybe even a physical one. But the new Naruto saw that this, more than any other time in the past month, was the best time to get this particular and unavoidable confrontation out of the way. He didn't really want to think how long it would take for him to get another chance like this, or if he would even ever have such a golden opportunity again.

Naruto breathed in once, and exhaled slowly, emulating the breathing exercises his sensei had taught him, which helped calm his mind and at the same time focus it. This was probably going to be his only chance, "Look, Tayuya, I don't know why you've been doing this, but frankly it's getting annoying. You've been yelling at me, screaming at me, and basically trying to intimidate me since day one. To tell you the truth, I could probably deal with that, since it seems to make up the person that you are. But, what I can't deal with is that I've suddenly become your only focus for this anger of yours, as if I did something on purpose to earn your anger. I don't know if I did or not, and if I did I'm sorry, but I also doubt that's actually it, though you may have delusions that it may be something like that."

Tayuya still wasn't looking at him, though her eyebrow twitched at the mention of her having delusions, but before she could even think of a retort, Naruto continued, "You have been following me around, practically hunting me down just so you could yell at me for not telling you everything about me, or about what Senritsu-sensei and I train on after class. Last time I checked, _you_ haven't even bothered to tell me anything about yourself. _You_ at least know what my general hobbies and ambitions are, like my addiction to ramen, the fact that I have an apparently new obsession with books, and my ambition to try and be the strongest ninja known in the entire world. I mean, how couldn't you? I just happen to spout it out and tell you guys it all the time. But _you_? _You_ haven't told me _any_thing about yourself. Nothing other than the things that are obvious, like you swear a lot and you apparently have a dislike for those around you. The only other thing I know about you is that the reason you're here in Oto is 'cause you've had a hard past, and that wasn't even told to me by _you_, I was informed of that by Senritsu-sensei on my first day here, remember? Since then, I haven't learned anything else about _you_. When we have class with the rest of the academy, _you_ sit in the back away from everybody else, at meals _you_ just yell at me, during training _you_ always want to beat the crap out of me, and after training? _You_ go straight to your room and only come out to yell at me for about two minutes through my own door."

Tayuya was finally looking at him, with eyes wide with… well he couldn't tell what emotion it was because it was a myriad of emotions, each replacing the other as quickly as it came. Anger, embarrassment, shock, Anger, shame, confusion, Anger, confusion, frustration, Anger… hate and sadness? _Fear_? Naruto closed his eyes and rubbed his temples to clear his head, but mostly to stop looking at Tayuya's shifting eyes, they were actually disturbing him to look at them. All the other emotions he could understand… but sadness and fear, and hate?

Was it him she hated?

He wouldn't be surprised if that were the case, matter of fact he suspected it; had been for quite awhile now, and the sadness and fear made no sense at all. Well, at least he knew she was definitely angry. Big surprise.

After about two minutes of utter and extremely uncomfortable silence, Tayuya opened her mouth as if to say something, then closed it, then opened it again only to close it once more. For once in her life she couldn't think of a retort, or something nasty to say. Even more so, Naruto was only _eight_, how come he sounded older than her? More so, how come it sounded like she was being scolded by an adult? When did the overly loud and boisterous Naruto ever become so serious? She was one for stability in her life, and she had labeled Naruto as the stupid and hyperactive type, to have this change on her all of a sudden was like having her entire perception of the world around her shift dramatically.

She quickly wiped at the stinging sensation in her eyes. _Tears? Why the fuck am I crying?_ The emotions she was currently feeling… she ruthlessly cut them to pieces before they could surface and overwhelm her, but that didn't stop them from showing on her face. She forced down the choking sensation in her throat, and rubbed at her eyes till they stopped tearing. Why? Why was she doing this? Did it really matter if she knew about this boy's past, did it really matter that she didn't know what special training he was receiving? She knew the answer to those questions, but she wasn't going to let herself think about it.

All this went unnoticed by Naruto, who still was rubbing his temples and had his eyes closed. When he finally opened them, Tayuya had returned to staring at the ground as if she was going to burn holes through the stone floor with her glare, _Probably wishing she could do that to my head._

"… Look jack a-"

Naruto held up his hand swiftly, which she caught out of the corner of her eye, and much to his and _her_ surprise she shut up, "Tayuya, I know you call everyone nicknames and whatnot, but the fact that you only ever call me 'jackass', 'bastard', 'retard' and 'idiot' means that you don't like me. Again, I don't understand the reason for that, when all I've ever tried to do is be quietly polite and tried my _hardest_ not to upset you. I would prefer from now on that you please leave me alone. Stop yelling at me, stop following me, and if all your going to do is call me a jackass or a bastard, or call me stupid without being a good enough friend to actually do so, then don't bother talking to me at all either. I don't know what it is about me that upset you so, but you apparently don't want to actually get to know me for me, Uzumaki Naruto, since you're not willing to share anything about yourself in the first place."

Tayuya opened her mouth as if to say something again, but Naruto beat her to the punch, "I know already. You _**hate **_me. Something I'm used to I guess, its easy to recognize since its all I was really ever subjected to before I came here. So again, I'm sorry for whatever I did to make you hate me, and please, I got the point finally, you can stop yelling at me and following me now. Though if you continue to do so, which I wouldn't be surprised if you did, just don't expect to me to listen to or talk to you for referring to me as 'bastard' or 'retard'. Goodnight Tayuya."

And with that Naruto gently closed the door to his room, locking it and heading to his headboard to pull out which book he would be reading after he took his shower.

No one was there to see a redheaded girl stand outside Naruto's door for a full five minutes before she realized just what the blonde had said exactly.

No one was there to see a redheaded girl nearly choke audibly on some unknown emotion and then run to the confines of her own room and slam her door.

No one was there to see a redheaded girl cry for the first time in six years.

No one was there.

* * *

…_oh Kami!_

What the fuck was _wrong_ with her?

_Why?_ Why did she have to cry now, after so long? Why couldn't she make it stop? Why was she sitting here on her bed sobbing her heart out? It felt like she was choking as she tried to push this unbearable emotion away, but it was like a burst dam, no matter how hard you tried, the water was going to empty out until it stopped on its own.

He thought she _hated_ him! _**Hated**_ him! Why did she have to go and fuck this one up? She automatically thought he was going to be like everyone else, no matter the fact that he was different enough to be considered for elite training like them. She was sure he was going to either be stupid and uncaring, or uncaring and cold like Kimimaro. After seeing him for the first day, she had labeled him stupid and uncaring.

Her relationship with Kidoumaru and Jiroubou was strained at best, but at least they accepted her, maybe even liked her as a friend a little. Sakon and Ukon at least acknowledged her, Kimimaro… well there wasn't much of a relationship there, and she didn't want one with the stoic boy.

Then there was Naruto. All the others yelled and snapped back when she berated them, when she yelled at them, even Kimimaro at least acknowledged her enough to threaten her into leaving him alone. Through all of that she had found out bits and pieces about them, and then one by one listened in as each of them told the others about his past. It made her feel like she had more power by knowing more about them than they knew about her, knowledge is power after all. And by feeling powerful? By feeling powerful and strong she felt safe, safe in her knowledge of others, safe in knowing that her life had been more harsh than theirs, so she knew not to share it with them, lest she go through a repeat of her past once again. She felt safe in knowing whether or not she could tell anyone about her self, about her… 'condition', so far she figured she couldn't tell anybody, and in knowing that she felt safe.

But then there was Naruto.

Naruto.

He didn't yell back at her, didn't threaten her, didn't laugh or jab back. He just _took _it. She couldn't understand why he wouldn't say anything, why he wouldn't look at her, listen to her, or respond to her… why he wouldn't _acknowledge_ her.

She didn't understand why the usually hyperactive blonde could be so silent and impregnable when she was yelling at him. It was a complete '360' from the way he normally acted, and she couldn't figure it out.

She _had_ to know, she had to _know_. All these years she had told herself she had to know so she knew not to tell anyone or to show anyone… but now, as she kneeled here on her bed in her pajamas – she couldn't remember changing her clothes – choking out wet sobs into a pillow she had clutched to her chest, she made herself admit the truth.

She had to know, because she _wanted_ someone to tell, someone to know the full truth, not just the bits and pieces everyone else had gleaned from her during her five years in Oto. She wanted… _needed_ someone to know, someone to understand. And with Naruto she didn't know.

With Kimimaro she at least knew the bastard wasn't going to learn _any_thing about her unless it was absolutely necessary. But Naruto, she didn't know, and therefore… he was hope. He was hope because she couldn't find out whether he was the one to tell or not; and she hated that, hated hoping. Hope had always failed her in the end. Hope wasn't going to help her, _knowing_ was.

But with the blonde she hoped because she didn't know, and may never know now.

Her heart nearly skipped a beat at that thought, and the sobs suddenly rose in strength and viciousness. Because he practically ignored her, she had focused all her energy on him in hopes of trying to beat the information that she so unknowingly and desperately needed out of him.

And now?

Now he believed she _hated_ him. He may even _hate _her. She nearly screamed. Why did that hurt? She knew hate, people had hated her all her life, why did it hurt to think that he may hate her?

_Because, he's kind, gentle, caring, fun… and he was hated too._

Tayuya shook her head violently in a vain attempt of dispelling that thought. He had known hate too? He had said that, but was it the same hate she had experienced? Or was it the mere dislike Jiroubou and Kidoumaru had experienced from their clans, or the jealousy that Sakon and Ukon had gone through? She didn't know about Kimimaro, he never revealed his past either. And the other academy students? They all spoke of growing up with hard lives, trying to survive before some lone Otonin, or even for some, Orochimaru himself had shown up to bring them to a new and better life.

All of them had had companions at one point, all of them knew what real friends were, some knew what family was at one point… all were able to talk about their pasts because they hadn't gone through what she had gone through; and apparently Naruto as well.

She felt an icicle slide slowly into where her heart would be. She had never thought of that… was that why Naruto had never told anyone about his past? _It's… it's so obvious!_ Naruto's past was painful enough that he couldn't make himself talk about it except probably with the few people who already knew. Was it as bad as hers though? Did it really matter? After all, he was the closest thing to someone who had experienced the same as her.

He had experienced hate… he hadn't said anger, or dislike, he had said _hate._ Images and short memories of the way she had been treating him flashed through her head. He had said hate was the only thing he had really been subjected to before he came to Oto. If that's how everyone had treated him, then no wonder he thought she hated him… and if the way she'd been treating him was the same way everyone else from where he had come from treated him…

_Oh Kami… his past… his life…it's as bad as mine!_ Granted she hadn't tried to mug him or kill him, but how could anyone not think someone hated them if people who really did hate them had treated them the same way? The way she yelled at him, did everyone in his home village do that? Or was it just his neighborhood, or just his house? Did he even come from someplace big enough to have multiple neighborhoods?

Tayuya stopped thinking on it. None of those really mattered. What mattered was the fact that he had suffered. Suffered enough that a relatively hyper and cheerful person such as himself was not willing to share what he had gone through to make him defect to another village. Same as her.

Same as her.

The sobs suddenly renewed, she hadn't ever realized they had stopped while she was realizing all of this. _Oh Kami! It fucking hurts!_ She had ruined her chance! Her one chance that she could now admit to herself she was waiting for the past _six_ years! She had screwed up big time. Royally fucked up.

What was she going to do now?

At the moment, coherent thought became impossible as the wracking sobs continued with renewed vigor. It felt as if a leaden weight had been placed in the middle of her chest, and it just got heavier and heavier as she continued to let the realization of what she had just done seep in.

Her one chance at making a connection, a true and real connection with someone else, her once chance at making a true and real friend, her one chance to maybe, just maybe… finally be able to trust.

And she blew it.

She blew it, because she couldn't stop herself from trying to make sure that she _couldn't _tell him, when she should've tried to find out more about him to see if she _could_ tell him.

Why? Why her? Why always her? What had she done to deserve this? Her father had said because she was a monster, her mother had told her it was because she was born, her entire family had said that it was because Kami himself thought of her as a mistake. That's why she went through so much pain, which was why she was going through so much pain now. She was alive, and that was enough reason in the world for her to feel pain.

How could he ever forgive her?

_Forgive? I've never expected anyone to fucking forgive me! I… I… oh gods, please let him forgive me…!_

But she didn't believe any deity, whether real or not, heard her plea; and even if they did, why would they answer?

Tayuya cried herself dry, and even then the sobs still came, dry and painful until hours later she had entered a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

**A/N (01/12/2011): **Alright, Chapter 3 has been edited and revised in preparation for the new story and chapters. As you all may have noticed I didn't change a whole lot, just changed the time table a little by making 3 days into 3 weeks, which is more believable to me. I also added a little stint where Naruto learns his elements, and Senritsu thinks about a Kunoichi who could combine Wind and Fire elements into a Kekkei Genkai called Shakuton (Scorch Release)... heheh, well how that pans out we'll have to wait and see.

Also, the name of this chapter is: Kaisoku Hyoushi 快足拍子 which means Agile (or Fast) Tempo. Also I'll be listing any new jutsu that pop up in the chapters her in my Author Notes. And I'll be including ones that I make up. 'Cuz I, like all author's that write Naruto fanfics, love to make up our own Jutsu.

_Fuuton: Shinkuu Taigyoku_ (Wind Release: Great Vacuum Sphere). This wind type jutsu was used by Shimura Danzo later on in the manga. It doesn't have a rank listed, but its an offensive short to mid-range ninjutsu. I would classify it B-rank probably due to how much chakra it would seem is needed to power it. Which makes it perfect for Naruto.

_Katon: Goukakyuu no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Great Fire-ball Technique) You should all know this one if your any level of Naru-Tard. Big fireball that the Uchihas and other leaf-nin like to use to burn stuff and people.


	4. Chishiki wa Chikara Nari

**Cursed Demon: Kaibutsu Akebono **怪物曙

Chapter 4: Chishiki wa Chikara Nari 知識は力なり

_-By Gadalla Rune-_

Naruto watched as Sakon and Ukon together fought both Jiroubou and Kidoumaru, and as usual the twins were winning. Occasionally when they teamed up in pairs they could handle Sakon and Ukon, but the brothers were not only twins but literally shared each other's bodies, and when it came to coordination and teamwork no one Naruto had yet seen could match them. So, usually, the brothers were the victors in their sparring matches. It was worse when they had to spar with the normal Oto-academy students. It took four to six academy students to even gain an advantage against the twins, and yet the two would still come out on top.

Naruto winced as he witnessed Kidoumaru be overwhelmed by the brothers' combinations of Tarenken and Tarenkyaku, overwhelming even Kidoumaru's multiple limbs with their own lightning fast barrage of fists and feet. Naruto knew what it was like to be at the receiving end of one of those attacks. After actually getting Sakon engaged in a conversation for once (Ukon did most of the talking), Naruto had found out what and how their unique ability worked.

It was a Kekkei Genkai, usually simply called a Bloodline Limit. Naruto had read a book on ninjutsu that talked about Kekkei Genkai for only a single chapter. Apparently, the families and clans where Kekkei Genkai originated tended to closely guard their Bloodline's secrets. Bloodline Limits were extremely powerful and unique abilities that were only passed on through genetics, or blood, hence the nickname Bloodline Limit. So, only members of the clan, or those with a parent of the clan, tended to get the Kekkei Genkai.

Sakon and Ukon's Bloodline was known as Souma no Kou, it was what allowed them to fuse together and more importantly it required them to remain fused together. They shared a symbiotic relationship, and though they could separate at will, apparently Ukon, the older brother, could only survive for a couple of hours outside of Sakon's body.

Ukon had explained that their entire clan was like that, all born twins that could fuse together. But the reason they had been ostracized was because their particular family had been part of the lower echelons of the clan, and Sakon and Ukon had been born with the _true_ form of Souma no Kou which hadn't appeared in the clan for several generations. This had truly upset the nobility of their clan, something neither of the brothers could understand. So they had grown up with the leaders of their clan separating them from their parents and siblings and forcing them to train their abilities and be subject to testing and experimentation.

The true form of Souma no Kou created the symbiotic relationship that Sakon and Ukon shared, for the rest of their clan did not have to remain fused together with their twins to survive. This had been used against them on several occasions, the nobles threatening to separate the both of them for extended periods of time as a form of torture. It also bestowed a rather unique ability that they learned to harness and eventually escape the slave-like lifestyle their clan had forced on them.

In the lesser form of Souma no Kou, when two twins fused together their strength, speed, endurance, and chakra capacity were added together, effectively making their clan's ninja twice as strong as normal. But Sakon and Ukon soon discovered that the true form of their Kekkei Genkai caused all of their physical attributes to be increased _exponentially_. In other words they multiplied their strength and speed together, making them far more powerful than their other clan members. Sakon by himself could bench press about eighty pounds with his ten year old body, and so could Ukon. Together they could bench press approximately six and half _thousand_ pounds. Of course, they were not yet full grown adults, and only being ten year olds, their strength, speed and other physical attributes were only going to increase a whole lot more.

Naruto shivered at that thought. Being hit by Sakon and Ukon together hurt more than when Jiroubou punched him; mostly because even though Jiroubou was just as strong as Sakon and Ukon fused together (maybe a little more… another scary thought), the twins used their ability of merging and unmerging to land several bone-crushing punches with just one hit. Whereas Jiroubou could only land one hit with one punch, which made all the difference.

Matter of fact, now that Naruto thought of it, the only ones of the entire academy that could beat Sakon and Ukon one on one… or one on two depending on how one looked at it was Kimimaro and himself.

He had grown stronger.

It had been another month since his incident with Tayuya, and Naruto had grown even more. He had practically mastered the text book taijutsu, it was rather simple after all, and had already started adapting the kata to his own style and movement. In effect he was doing something all ninja eventually did if they didn't receive a specific from of taijutsu training from a master, they created their own form of taijutsu using the basic building blocks of the academy fighting style.

As for ninjutsu, even though he had mastered all the academy jutsu finally, he rarely used the Bunshin no Jutsu, if ever, instead relying heavily on Kage Bunshin no Jutsu. This was due to his chakra control. Even though he had come in leaps and bounds with his chakra control, he still had just _too _much chakra at his disposal. The basic clone technique required very minute amounts of chakra, and he just wasn't able to limit the amount of chakra he could put in a jutsu. It was like he had hit a wall with how little chakra could be put out by him due to his overly large supply of stamina. Which normally would be a boon, but it meant he wouldn't be able to use techniques like Bunshin no Jutsu and even most genjutsu with any amount of efficiency.

But that didn't bother him too much. Who wanted to use old Bunshins or genjutsu when he could use solid Kage Bunshins!

He had realized that he only had the fundamentals down when he discovered several subsidiary kinjutsu in the scroll Kabuto had given him that used Kage Bunshins. After reading the scroll and studying the hand seals and other jutsu formulae, he had started working on those as well. One in particular had him excited to master, Bakuha Kage Bunshin no Jutsu, a jutsu that allowed him to literally explode the chakra in a given Kage Bunshin, allowing him to use his shadow clones as suicide bombers that were dangerous to even get close to. Senritsu had been apprehensive about Naruto learning how to explode his own shadow clones, knowing full well that he would eventually have to fight against them at graduation.

Speaking of his sensei, Naruto had continued to advance in his elemental chakra training with Senritsu. He had learned two new jutsu dealing with his elements. One was rather easy to learn since it was actually a lower level wind jutsu then his Shinkuu Taigyoku. _Fuuton: Daitoppa _was not nearly as destructive as the Great Vacuum Sphere, but he was able to sustain the blast of wind that emanated from his outstretched hands for as long as his stamina allowed, resulting in a rather extended period of time. This allowed him to block incoming projectiles and to keep opponents at bay; a very versatile jutsu that could also be very damaging if he wished to invest the larger amounts of chakra required for such an attack. Which when he did, the wind became more powerful, and also _sliced_ into anything in its path as the wind chakra was concentrated and literally sharpened.

The other new fire jutsu he had learned was the _Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_, which took him nearly as long to master as the Goukakyuu. Instead of one large powerful fireball at relatively close range, the Housenka technique created several smaller and weaker fireballs that he could fire at multiple targets from a longer distance away, he could create as many fireballs as he wanted, he just had to expend the required chakra. Both of the new jutsu were relatively weaker in attack power, but could be used in more strategic situations due to their versatility, and they still took about two weeks to master due to the higher requirements of chakra control required for each one.

It had taken him a bit of time and a whole lot of mental abuse from Senritsu, before he was able to admit to himself that he was lacking in the chakra control area of his training. He did not enjoy admitting that he was bad at something, a trait Naruto realized meant that he was probably overly competitive and disliked being looked down on.

As soon as he was able to admit it to himself, however, he had started working on it furiously, running up and down walls, and training his taijutsu while standing on water. He had even taken to walking on the ceilings of the tunnels when moving about the underground facility instead of walking on the floor. All which helped tremendously with his chakra control and increased his stamina slightly to boot.

All of this pleased Naruto, especially the fact that he was starting to get the hang of changing his chakra nature to one of his elemental affinities using only one or two hand signs, a mastery of control that was required for the unique technique that his sensei had developed and would eventually be teaching him. But there was one thing that was getting on his nerves about his training, Senritsu had remained adamant that no one know what was going on behind the training room doors during their private training lessons.

So, Naruto had not been able to use, and more accurately, show off, all of his new jutsu when training with his classmates.

Naruto ground his teeth in frustration at that thought. _If I could just take a whack at Kimimaro with my elemental jutsu I'd at _least _get that much closer to kicking his ass._

A true rivalry had seemed to spring up between Naruto and Kimimaro. It had only been three months, but within that amount of time, Naruto had grown immensely in skill power, and most noticeably, intellect. Naruto had received intense training, mandatory classes, and a one on one focus with his sensei that he could never have hoped for back in Konoha. Here, in Otogakure, they _expected _him to improve, and for once in his life Naruto was more than happy to oblige. For once in his life, he felt like he was actually wanted, that someone actually wanted him to be a ninja. Within three months time, Naruto had risen in the ranks amongst his classmates, academy and elite alike.

Now, the only student that was above Naruto in skill was Kimimaro, who still beat him every time they sparred, while Sakon and Ukon only beat him less then half the time when they had a bout. Naruto was not lacking in his grades either, Kimimaro was of course the top of the class, while Tayuya and fellow academy student Tsuchi Kin were the only ones ahead in grades. Though, as time went by, it seemed that the blond was slowly catching up to his peers in perfect marks.

Sometime within the past two weeks, Kimimaro's attitude towards Naruto had changed when he realized that the blond was actually proving to be more and more of a challenge as time went by. Plus, something had seemed to click when Senritsu had publicly gone over all the elite's grades thus far during one of their training sessions. It had been no surprise that Kimimaro was number one in the class still, but it had come as a slight surprise when Naruto had been revealed to be fourth when it came to grades; impressive, since his first two week period had shown him near the bottom of the classes when it came to the textbook side of his education in the ninja arts.

No one had seemed to be more shocked than Kimimaro who obviously ignored most of his other teammate's progress through their training and education in the ninja arts. The fact that his surprise was plainly seen on his face (in the form of raised eyebrows) was testament to how shocked he really had been. Naruto guessed that it was a bit of a shock. He had gone from almost dead last to within the top five of the class in both physical and mental exercises in less than three months time.

For the past two weeks Naruto's spars with Kimimaro had changed dramatically. When facing Naruto, Kimimaro no longer nonchalantly defeated the opposition as he tended to do against all his other opponents, academy and elite alike, with all the stoic attitude of a genius. Instead, Naruto found himself ruthlessly attacked by the pale-haired genius any time he set foot within the trid. At first Naruto had thought he had struck a nerve with the boy and had somehow pissed him off, but it took nearly a week of sparring with Kimimaro _every_ day for Naruto to realize what had happened.

Kimimaro was acknowledging him.

Kimimaro was acknowledging _only_ him, in the only way a ninja could show his respect to a fellow sparring partner. He beat him, he stabbed him, threw him and slammed him into walls and into the floor, and instead of defending and waiting for an opening, Kimimaro savagely beat Naruto into submission, finishing the sparring match in as little time as possible.

Naruto relished it.

For once, someone stronger than him had a recognized him as a true threat, someone more powerful and skilled than he was had seen the potential and power he was capable of. So, Naruto fought back. If Kimimaro was going to give him his all, then he was going to as well… within his sensei's parameters at least, meaning no elemental jutsu as of yet. But, Naruto made up for it and gave the green-eyed Kaguya as much hell as possible.

Senritsu had gotten anxious at Kimimaro's change in attitude towards Naruto for the first week it happened. Then he started noticing the grimace on Naruto's face resembled more of a maniacal grin even though he was currently pin-cushioned with bone spears, daggers and swords; and the occasional angry tick in Kimimaro's cheek seemed to keep pulling up the corners of the normally stoic boy's mouth whenever he saw that Naruto was not yet down for the count. For some reason that only made Senritsu feel even more anxious.

He really preferred that they didn't kill each other because they were enjoying themselves too much.

Not only was Naruto feeling more and more confident in his strength as a ninja, but now he felt more confident around other people. At least he felt more confident around his elite class. Jiroubou and Kidoumaru had seemed to become good friends… though Naruto was getting the feeling that they were beginning to look up to him. He didn't know how to really handle that since he'd never had anyone ever look up to him before. As for Sakon and Ukon, well Ukon was talkative and friendly with Naruto… when he was awake, and Sakon was, well, Sakon. He was brash, brusque and didn't really do the communication thing, but Naruto felt that the few words they did share, usually in the form of flying swear words and jests, were no longer as harsh as they used to be. Though, Naruto still felt a twinge of irritation when Sakon decided to call him short, which in reply Naruto would call him Sa-_kun_.

Last time that happened (just a few hours ago) Senritsu had to pull them apart because Naruto was on top of Sakon choking him with the blue haired boy choking the blond as well; Ukon had woken up and tried getting in between them but only seemed to piss the two of them off even more.

And now Kimimaro was treating him more as part of the team than an outsider, though he was still very quiet around the younger boy. Naruto could tell that Kimimaro actually paid attention when Naruto was called on to spar or to demonstrate an exercise. Kimimaro saw him as his personal rival; and the bone-user, being the strongest student by far, had already been designated by Naruto as the blonde's rival to surpass.

Everyone laughed at his antics and pranks now (usually after yelling at him first); even Kimimaro could be seen with a ghost of a smile on his face occasionally, except when the prank was against him. Like that time Naruto had taken spoiled goat's milk and stuck it inside the Kaguya's mini-fridge in his room. He had almost been caught since he had the urge to see if the pale-haired boy's bathroom was as meticulously clean and organized as his closet and sleeping area. It had been and it had been slightly weird and OCD to Naruto, but everyone had their quirks and their reasons, so it hadn't really bothered him.

What did bother him was when he had found a shaft of sharp bone stuck through his neck from his blind spot the next day. While he lay gurgling in his own life blood, Kimimaro had lectured him in a monotone voice of why the blond should never _ever_ sneak into his room without his permission again, and why it was uncivilized and uncouth for a ninja of his caliber to play such a prank on his _illustrious_ rival.

Naruto was sure that Kimimaro knew he'd be able to survive such a blow, and he was also _very_ sure that the white-haired asshole knew that he'd survive but be in a whole world of agony since the damn bone spear was _barbed_ and it took Kidoumaru and Jiroubou both to gingerly remove it. Senritsu had laughed his ass off the entire half hour from the beginning of Kimimaro's lecture to when the shard of bone was finally removed. Naruto had punched him in his stupid scarfed face… though that only seemed to make him laugh all the harder. Nonetheless, Naruto had not played a prank on Kimimaro since.

… Though it had only been a week…

Everyone seemed to laugh at times like that, and for once in his life, Naruto felt he belonged.

Everyone laughed, or smiled… except Tayuya…

Naruto watched Sakon and Ukon dispatch of Jiroubou rather easily, throwing him out of the trid and leaving a battered Kidoumaru to fend for himself, and sighed. It had been an entire month, and nothing had changed. The day after he had spoken his mind to Tayuya he had not seen her in class at the academy; the sensei had explained she had called in sick. So when she had shown up to their training session later that day he had expected her to completely ignore everything he had told her the night before and start shooting off her mouth at everyone and everything around her, especially him.

But to Naruto's amazement and near shock, the moment the redhead had laid eyes on him, she just seemed to… crumble. Naruto couldn't explain it, it looked like she was going to say something, then she had closed her mouth and hung her head, silently walking towards them to stand in line for Senritsu's daily inspection. For the entire day, she did not speak to anyone, opening her mouth whenever anyone did something stupid or fell, or if Kidoumaru or one of the other's said something to her, but then she would just close her mouth and say nothing, looking anywhere but at Naruto. She avoided him like the plague the entire day, keeping one of the others between them at all times, or if she couldn't do that, she made sure she was at least ten to twenty feet away from him.

Naruto could feel her watching him though when he wasn't looking, which he surmised was her glaring holes into the side of his head, but every time he looked her way he would fine her snapping her gaze away from his as if he had physically slapped her. Her attitude towards him had him completely perplexed. He was pretty sure that he would've had to talk to her again, since he was positive that no amount of trying to talk sense to such a hothead as Tayuya would ever work.

It seemed to only get worse.

As the days went by, Tayuya became more and more introverted, not talking to anyone unless spoken to and only to really answer questions with a 'no' or 'yes' and sometimes with only a noncommittal sound or mere shrug of the shoulders. She avoided eye contact with Naruto, and seemed to fidget whenever she realized Naruto was watching her. A few times Naruto was _sure_ she'd just open her mouth and fire a string of curses and swears at him or one of her classmates, or Senritsu, since the man seemed to be personally trying to goad her in response to her new found silence; but no matter what happened, she would simply look away and say nothing.

Naruto didn't know how to handle this.

When Kidoumaru and Jiroubou had asked him what had happened the night she had stalked him out of the cafeteria, he simply relayed to them that he had told her to leave him alone, and that he didn't understand what he had done to make her dislike him so much. Jiroubou had shrugged his massive shoulders and simply went to his room to rest and eat, while Kidoumaru had raised all his hands up as if to say, 'what're you gonna do?' Naruto had shrugged himself in response to that and had gone to bed after barely reading from his kinjutsu scroll and his current book, "Chakra: Elemental Manipulation and Spatial Manipulation: Practical Applications."

Finally after an entire week of Tayuya completely avoiding him as much as possible, Senritsu had decided to force the two into a one on one sparring match. Naruto had jumped up on the trid expecting Tayuya to already be there, eager to finally smash the 'little blond fuck-face.' Instead, he was once again proven wrong. Tayuya was still in the same spot she had been standing in, on the other side of the trid from where Naruto had been, staring at Senritsu and then Naruto as if they had both transformed into monsters who wanted to take her maidenhood.

Senritsu had finally said, "Tayuya, you get in the ring and fight Naruto, or else I'll be having you sleep in Naruto's room if you're so scared of him."

The pure horror on the redhead's face had surprised Naruto once again. He had been expecting outrage and anger at Senritsu's words, not this. Tayuya had bit her lip and _fiddled_ with her fingers and the hem of her elite robes, something that Naruto saw as very _un_-Tayuya like, and also very cute. He had almost smacked himself for thinking that, and quickly had it pushed out of his mind as he watched Tayuya finally snap out of her daze and slowly ascend the trid's steps, one agonizing footstep at a time.

Naruto had actually felt bad during their relatively short sparring session. Tayuya had slid into her rather unique taijutsu stance (Senritsu had been teaching it to her, though he refused to even tell Naruto what it was as of yet) but she hadn't been looking at him, instead she was looking down, watching his feet. Whatever taijutsu Senritsu was teaching her, Naruto knew full well that she was supposed to be looking _at _him. When their sensei had signaled for them to start, Tayuya had moved towards Naruto, attacking with her extremely fluid taijutsu; and though the strikes were executed perfectly, at least to the blonde's estimation, he noted that they had no power, no speed and no… determination, something that Naruto had associated with Tayuya since day one.

Naruto had blocked the pathetic strikes with a frown of disappointment on his face, and actually had felt bed when he grabbed Tayuya's wrist from one of her missed punches, and almost easily twisted and maneuvered her off the trid. He hadn't even thrown her, but because she wasn't paying attention she had stumbled on the edge and landed in a heap on the floor. Naruto had felt shock at what he had seen, but had recovered and jumped down almost instantly, worried that he had actually hurt her, but before he had even gotten to her she had already dragged herself to a standing position and proceeded to walk back to her spot on the other side of the trid.

During the following weeks, they had gone through three more of such sparring matches. Senritsu had tried berating her on her performance when sparring with Naruto, but she had only nodded her head and said nothing. Apparently she was doing fine with all her other studies and training exercises, but anytime she had to spar against Naruto she suddenly turned into the worst ninja in their group. Naruto knew for a fact that Tayuya was far from weak, and she was smarter than him as well. He didn't understand the way she was acting, and he had no idea what to do about it.

Kidoumaru and Jiroubou had already expressed their confusion and worry to her, but only got shrugs in response, and even Sakon and Ukon exercised their own sort of concern, berating her as they had always done, trying vainly to rile up a heated response. Soon Jiroubou and Kidoumaru had joined in with Sakon's plan, but so far none of it had worked.

Even Kimimaro in his own fashion had started ignoring Tayuya even more (something Naruto was surprised was possible), only looking at her to express his disgust through his eyes. This, though harsh, was the bone-user's own way of trying to get some sort of response out of the redhead that was the Tayuya of old. It seemed even the normally cold Kaguya somehow missed, in his own way, the occasional fitful burst of 'fucks' and 'shits'.

But, it all only seemed to make the girl crumble even further. Her head seemed to hang lower everyday, and Naruto could tell that she was starting to drag her feet so she wouldn't keep up with everyone else when they left class, training or the cafeteria.

Kidoumaru had almost beaten Sakon and Ukon twice by now, one would have been a knock out while the other was almost the much easier to obtain ring out, but Naruto was pulled out of his musings as Sakon had maneuvered Kidoumaru into disadvantageous position where he then used his overwhelming power to drive the six-armed boy right off the side of the trid.

"Alright! Sakon and Ukon win!" Senritsu had appeared with a puff of smoke into the middle of the trid behind the twins… though he had only been three feet away in his usual sitting place, a dark green lounge-chair meant for the beach. The fact that there was now a pond hidden underneath the trid and small amount of sand underneath their sensei's chair did not constitute the training room as a beach. Naruto had said so at one point, though all he got was one of Senritsu's many 'I know more than you' laughs, little hearts above his head included.

Senritsu looked over at the clock above the training room's doors, "Well, we've got about fifteen minutes left today, so I'd figure we'd just do some basic…"

Senritsu cut off his train of thought when a nondescript chuunin walked into the training room. It was hard to tell them a part; after all you could only see their eyes, and most chuunin wore their face masks and camouflage scarfs as a badge of pride for achieving said rank. Jounin on the other hand, tended to develop their own look that was comfortable to them, though they were still required to wear the purple rope belt that signified their rank. The chuunin quickly scanned the training room and spotting Senritsu proceeded to the middle of the trid to whisper into his ear.

Senritsu nodded and turned to his class, "Well, looks like we'll be cutting it short today, which sucks, I wanted to make you guys do suicides for the last fifteen minutes." He was of course smiling when he stated this.

There was a rather audible sigh from everyone in his class, except Kimimaro of course who only looked relieved… Tayuya didn't react at all. Suicides were a basic running exercise that could tire out an average person easily… until you added Senritsu to the equation and suddenly it was turned into an obstacle course of death that tired out normal ninja in about five minutes. Naruto himself did not relish the thought of performing his sensei's diabolical version of suicides for fifteen minutes straight.

Naruto quickly turned to where Tayuya was heading towards the hallway doors, intent on cutting her off and forcing her to talk to him. Tayuya had become a constant in his first two months in Oto, an extremely annoying and aggravating constant, but something stable nonetheless; when he himself was surrounded by so much change and was changing personally within that two month span. He could always count on Jiroubou and Kidoumaru to joke with, Sakon and Ukon to insult and beat the crap out of, Kimimaro to ignore him except when they sparred, and for Tayuya to yell her brains out at him. It had been a month of her new almost… _shy_ attitude and it was just too much. If he was able to bring back her hot-tempered ways, even _if_ it was all focused on him as it had been before, he would feel normal again and be happy to just grit his teeth and deal with it.

"Naruto, come over here, please."

Naruto stopped in his tracks as his sensei called from behind him and watched as Tayuya nearly sprinted out into the hallway and towards her room before the double doors slammed shut. He sighed, and vowed to do something about her later on and turned to see his sensei standing right behind him.

"Sheesh!... don't sneak up on me like that you damn pedophile!"

Senritsu chuckled, "Oh, I see we're making up for Tayuya's lack of attitude now." Naruto felt dread as little hearts appeared above the jounin's head. That was never a good sign. "Well, lucky for you my pedophile ways are geared towards little children who're actually _attractive_… and not so loud-mouthed either."

Naruto ground his teeth and shut up, knowing full well he would never get anywhere with his teacher. The man had absolutely no shame. Literally, none. "Fine, we'll save jokes about my looks for later, what do you want? Its Friday, we don't have our training session for another hour."

Senritsu shrugged, but his casual demeanor became a little more serious, "Usually it's my choice when we train, but that's not why I called you over here. It seems that our Otokage whishes to have a word with you. He's interested in how your training is going, so I'll be coming along. If he asks, don't tell him about me showing you my little technique, but you can tell him about all the other elemental stuff we've been working on."

Naruto perked up at this. He had only seen the Otokage a couple of times since his first day in Otogakure, and always from a distance, usually talking to a couple of jounin. He had only spoken to the man once, and hadn't really gotten a good impression of him at the time. Matter of fact, now that he thought about it, he hadn't seen Kabuto, Yoroi or Misumi either. He had been so caught up in training that he completely forgot about seeing what his three saviors had been up to.

"Alright, do I need to dress up or something? Or are we going now?"

Senritsu smiled, "Don't worry about it, your uniform is fine, plus Orochimaru usually prefers that his invitations and orders are met swiftly." Senritsu opened the hallway doors, waiting for Naruto to follow, "Just remember to be respectful and everything, and when you do see him, since your pretty much a Sound ninja now, its customary to bend the knee when greeting our Otokage in person."

Naruto nodded his ascent and made note of everything his sensei was telling him as they walked side by side down the hallway to Orochimaru's throne room. Naruto was told to add the respectful '–sama' suffix to the Otokage title or Orochimaru's name when speaking to him or of him, though Naruto was acutely aware that his sensei didn't do so when not in the Snake Sannin's presence.

He'd have to ask him about that later.

* * *

It didn't take long for them to reach Orochimaru's throne room.

Naruto remembered little of it though. He had only seen it once and had been in a state of minor shock at the time. But, he did remember the massive brass double doors engraved with snakes and the yin and yang, and it was easy to remember the monstrous golden throne made of more of the carved serpents with its massive yin yang disc that would sit above the head of Orochimaru. Other than that, Naruto could only remember Orochimaru himself.

Naruto kneeled alongside his sensei and bowed his head slightly to the pale man lounging in the golden throne of snakes. When he had entered he had made small notes of the interior, things he hadn't noticed three months ago when he had first arrived in Otogakure.

The room was lit with torches in iron brackets that gave off a shadowy orange glow. The color of the lighting calmed Naruto a little; after all, orange was the most divine color in existence. He had even managed to find a bit of orange cloth in one of the storage rooms and now wore it as his sash-belt instead of the plain brow one he had originally used.

The walls were a pale wood with a stone ceiling and a stone floor, though the floor was covered in a montage of scarlet and purple carpets that covered most of the flagstones underfoot all the way up to the dais that the Otokage's throne sat on.

"Ku ku ku… it is good to see you Naruto-kun… and you Senritsu-kun."

Naruto looked up, shaken from his study of the room, to see two golden eyes gazing at him. Three months ago he would have missed it, but the pause before Orochimaru had addressed Senritsu was very apparent to Naruto now. Naruto realized that the Snake Sannin was waiting for him to say something in return to his greeting.

The blonde cleared his throat, "Thank you Orochimaru-sama… um, it is good to see you too."

This seemed to amuse the Otokage as a smirk spread itself across his face. "Ku ku… ever the charmer, Naruto-kun. I've received weekly reports from your sensei on your training, class grades, and how you've been relating to your classmates. Apparently my own apprentice has taken a liking to you… at least that's what Senritsu-kun tells me. I have yet to hear the young Kaguya speak of you so."

Naruto understood that Orochimaru was talking about Kimimaro, and smiled nervously, "Well, uh… I wouldn't say he _likes _me per say… more like he sees me as a rival or something like that."

"Ah, that would explain what your sensei was referring to... tell me Naruto-kun, are you enjoying your classes? My reports tell me you've advanced dramatically since you first came here; apparently Kabuto-kun was right about your potential all along." The Sannin paused for a moment and if anything his smirk became a little more… smirkier, "… _and_ I've checked in at the library and noticed that you've been rather busy with all my books."

Naruto continued smiling nervously, the way this man talked was a little unnerving; especially with the way he would smirk and gaze at you as if you were his sole focus in the world for that moment… as if you were prey and he was wondering whether to eat you or not. But, he was the Otokage and his leader and master, plus he seemed to be pleased with his progress and interested in his own thoughts on the matter.

"Um… heh… yeah I enjoy my classes. Everyone is pretty nice to me… or at least nicer than back at ho-… back at Konoha, and thank you. I didn't think I was getting that strong. Kimimaro still beats me every time and Sakon and Ukon beat me almost half the time still." Naruto suppressed a grimace; he had almost referred to _that_ place as home. He felt sick thinking of that place and everything he had gone through in Konoha. There was no _way_ he was going to call that place home ever again.

Orochimaru raised an amused eyebrow at the young boy's correction of himself, but said nothing of it, instead focusing on something he was rather curious about, "… and the books, Naruto-kun?"

"Oh yeah! Uh… well, I've just been reading about everything… _every_thing. I never used to read before. Back in Konoha the librarians would always yell at me if I got too close to the books, as if I was there for anything else… and finally I just stopped going there. I learned to read in the academy, so it was a little hard at first since everyone else was already ahead of me in that area. Either way, everything I had to read was all technical stuff that was really boring, especially if it was history. The only cool stuff about history was the stories." Naruto stopped there, realizing he had started babbling in his excitement about books… and when did he start standing? He looked over to see his sensei was still at least on one knee looking at him with one of his amused/curious looks. The blonde quickly went back to one knee with a muttered apology.

Orochimaru waved it off, "Ku ku ku, think nothing of it, Naruto-kun. Please continue, I wish to hear why you've suddenly started reading… and, though I admit my library is rather vast with thousands of volumes, I would still like to know exactly _how_ you've read over four hundred and fifty books of my library in only two months time."

Naruto openly grimaced at that… _shit._ He noticed Senritsu's amused/curious look had become pure curious, and a lot more intense. Naruto sighed, he was hoping no one would notice that, but he might as well continue, and lying to the Otokage of all people was out of the question.

"Well, like I said, I had to learn how to read in my first two years in the academy. I guess because I was younger I didn't find the academy criteria as interesting as… say, a picture book. Plus, all my sensei would yell at me for not being able to read. One of them… I think Iruka was his name-" Senritsu visibly flinched here, but no one seemed to notice, "-he took it on himself to at least tutor me in reading. He said that when I got older I'd be in his class probably… I was looking forward to that, but that was then and this is now, and I have no desire to return to _that_ academy."

Naruto took a breath, as if fortifying himself and plowed on, "So, because I used to be yelled at for not being able to read, I think I started associating books with my life… you know, utter suck. Well, when I got here Senritsu made me read at least _one _book. It was short and only dealt with a short intro on the elemental manipulation of chakra, and I only read it after finding out my own elemental affinities." Orochimaru shot a slightly surprised glance at Senritsu, who merely nodded his head in affirmation, before returning his focus on the blonde.

"It was… well for the lack of a better word, it was _cool_. They didn't teach us this stuff in the academy because of how complex it was. Well this book was simply an intro so it explained everything so easily even an eight-year old dumb blonde could understand it after a couple hours of wracking his brain. Then, it was like a light bulb went off in my head… this book had opened my eyes and made me understand what Senritsu-sensei had been babbling about at me before I had read it."

Naruto casually ignored the annoyed look his sensei gave him, "It was like I was suddenly hungry… and books were like ramen. Every single one was its own flavor, and I just felt the need to read them all…" Naruto stopped, he had just revealed his own private revelation to these two men, and had told them about a passion he had never known he had possessed… now he had to tell them his secret.

Naruto swallowed, he was hoping not to tell anyone about his little… 'discovery' until later, much later. "You see, after reading a couple more books, I guess… I don't know, I started… paying attention more?" Naruto shrugged, he couldn't explain what a week of reading had done to him, it had just done _something_, and whatever it was it was profound. "If I was still back in Konoha, I probably would never have gotten into reading books like I am now, unless it was like '101 Ways to Become Hokage'… or some garbage like that." Though Naruto declined to mention he would still read it, even now, it was a book after all and deserved to be read, no matter how bad.

"So… when sparring against… well anybody, I started to notice something. I guess you already know that Kage Bunshin no Jutsu is pretty much my most used technique, right?" At Orochimaru's approving nod, the blond continued, "You see, every time Kimimaro would kill one of my shadow clones, or Jiroubou would pound one into pulp or they would just be dispelled overall, I… _felt_ something. So I decided to test it out. I sent one of my clones into Kimimaro's room to um… well you see, I sorta planned on playing a prank on him and wanted to get to know the layout a little better. I was going to switch out one of his milk cartons with a carton full of sour goat's milk. When Kimimaro came back my clone almost got caught apparently and dispelled himself to avoid getting seen. Suddenly I knew the layout of Kimimaro's room and what had happened because after my clone dispelled the jutsu, all of his memories came rushing back in my head." Naruto also declined to mention that several weeks later he did indeed pull said prank on Kimimaro.

Which had led to him being stabbed in the throat. Naruto shuddered.

Naruto looked over to see Orochimaru waiting for him to continue, he had gotten up again and had been pacing while talking without even realizing it, but he didn't kneel this time, for the Sannin didn't seem to mind at the moment. "I probably didn't notice it before 'cause every time one of my clones was 'killed' I was there watching it happen. So I didn't think anything of the fact that my clone got killed and that I just imagined I could feel Kimimaro's bone sword going through my eye after watching it happen to me. After my little experiment, though, I started thinking about other ways I could use this jutsu. Obviously I can use the Kage Bunshin for long distance surveillance and tracking, and stuff like that without risking any harm to myself or my teammates. Then I got curious and tried an experiment with two more shadow clones. I sat down for a night with the two other… me's, and each of us read a different book, or at least part of it. When I dispelled them, I not only remembered what _I_ had just read but what my other two counterparts had read too!"

Naruto shrugged, "After that I would check out multiple books, as much as me and a few of my shadow clones could carry, and during the day, while I was at class and in training, my shadow clones would sit in my room reading. One shadow clone per book, so that when I went to bed I would just pass out from all the influx of information, and when I woke up in the morning I'd have about several _thousand_ pages of text swimming around in my head. I suppose the REM cycles while sleeping helped my brain process all the information so it was easier to understand it when I woke up."

Here he stopped. He had been pacing circles around his kneeling sensei, who had started getting a sore neck following Naruto's movements, before stopping and facing the Otokage. "… and its only been a month since I figured out about all that stuff with the Kage Bunshin... so I've read over four-hundred and fifty books in only _one_ month... not two." Naruto looked down at his feet, slightly embarrassed when the Sannin started to chuckle.

"Ku ku ku… impressive! Very impressive, Naruto-kun. I'm so very happy that you've found an interest in my library and in books in general. I must say that I am encouraging you to continue reading, after all you'll notice that most of the books here in my humble abode have to deal with pretty much everything about the ninja arts, though you'll find reading on pretty much any subject matter you could think of."

Orochimaru's voice had slowly drawn Naruto's embarrassed face up so that he was looking into his leader's golden eyes once again. When the Sannin saw that he had the boys undivided attention he decided to impart a little snippet of wisdom he was sure the boy would take to heart, "Always remember, Naruto-kun… knowledge is **Power**."

Naruto bowed with a quick "Hai, Orochimaru-sama." before returning to kneel next to his sensei. He had felt the importance of such a statement and seeing his sensei's knowing nod at the proclamation he knew it was true.

Senritsu honestly couldn't believe his ears… the boy had read the equivalent of fifteen books a day and had assimilated all the information of said books after a single night's rest! What was just as interesting was the nature of his shadow clones. Senritsu himself could perform the technique now after watching Naruto using it enough times. After all he was a jounin and was once hailed as a genius, and had already figured out that interesting side affect, but it was different for him and pretty much every other person that could use the technique apparently. He had found this out after doing some more research on said technique after figuring out how to use it.

One, Naruto could make _a lot_ more shadow clones than anyone else he had ever encountered and could maintain them for extended periods of time for obvious reasons; reasons the boy didn't know about… yet.

Two, when ever he or anyone else used Kage Bunshin, the shadow clones were only granted a limited intelligence, enough to follow orders and perform simple tasks, but not intelligent enough to memorize details very well for scouting missions or the like… like the memorization of a book. Not to mention they didn't have very much personality either. Making the jutsu used as a distraction tactic, or to aid a little in combat situations, though it was only known by the rare jounin who had bothered to learn it… though it was used this way with usually only one or two at a time usually.

Naruto's shadow clones on the other hand were not only more resilient and more… numerous, but were long lasting and seemed to act just like the loud mouth blonde himself. Senritsu grinned (though none could see it behind his scarf) at the memory of the few occasions that Naruto had gotten himself into verbal arguments with his own clones which sometimes escalated into fist fights. Said fist fights would usually lead to very confusing all out brawls, and for some reason when Naruto hit his own shadow clones they didn't dispel after only one hit, so the brawls usually lasted a good half an hour or so. His sensei allowed the battle royals to happen when they did, as long as the boy and his clones practiced proper taijutsu form… plus it was amusing as hell to watch someone get the shit beat out of them by none other than themselves.

Senritsu already knew the mechanics behind the jutsu, the fact that each clone was actually a minute extension of the users chakra and mind, and when a shadow clone 'died' the chakra that held the part of the mind would return to its original place, the head of the user. Senritsu had been curious about Naruto's shadow clones… until now. He summarized that the blonde's unnaturally intelligent clones were probably just as aware as Naruto himself due to the **massive** amounts of chakra the boy used into making the damn things. And, the fact that Naruto was constantly using chakra everyday all day for the past month to sustain at least fifteen kage bunshin, even when training, was yet another testament to the boy's potential.

"You said something about elemental _affinities_?"

Senritsu looked up at Orochimaru's inquiry; he had been silent during the entire exchange between his student and the Otokage and decided it was his time to speak. Didn't want the little gaki to let anything slip after all.

"Ah, yes Orochimaru-sama. That was something I have not included in my reports since I was inclined to tell you of my little discovery, and Naruto's personal training, in person." He waited for Orochimaru to nod his assent, urging him on before continuing,

"Apparently _my_ young pupil here has not one, but _two_ elemental affinities. Something, as we know, is extremely rare. They happen to be Wind and Fire." It was almost unheard of outside of bloodline limits that were able to fuse elements together. Everyone else was born with only one affinity for an element, didn't matter if they were ninja or not. Ninja could use their element easily when compared to other elements, but as a ninja progressed he could gain _proficiency_ in one or two more elements. It was very rare to hear of a ninja who had gained full proficiency in all five elements… one of them was sitting on a solid gold throne right in front of him.

Orochimaru didn't miss the slight inflection when Senritsu claimed Naruto, rather subtly, as his own personal apprentice. It irked him… slightly… that he didn't realize that the Raikou Dageki was giving the young jinchuuriki private training sessions and obviously on his elemental affinities; but he decided to indulge the Sumiyaka and allow him to have his own apprentice, it would be more fruitful if he could keep all his focus on the Kaguya child anyway and allowing Naruto to have his own personal sensei would only help him in furthering his goals.

After all, Kabuto had just come to him a few days ago to announce his own personal apprentice from the academy, a boy by the name of Abumi Zaku. Orochimaru was interested into why his second in command had chosen such a child. The boy was someone the Sannin vaguely remembered recruiting in person. He remembered the dark haired little runt had had guts and something in his eyes that could only be described as pure determination and the instinct to survive. Either way, Zaku was only mid placed when it came to grades in the academy, so Orochimaru couldn't understand why Kabuto had chosen the boy to train… well he at least _knew _why now.

Apparently, the bespectacled Oto-nin had learned of Senritsu taking on little Naruto as his personal apprentice. Orochimaru knew that Kabuto would probably never have bothered to take an apprentice for himself if it wasn't for Senritsu taking Naruto under his wing. The Snake Sannin ground his teeth in slight frustration; he gave Kabuto and Senritsu, his two highest ranked subordinates, far too much freedom. But, as long as they didn't hinder him in his goals he didn't mind... much.

Another thought came to the Otokage, _Hm… looks like I won't really be able to kill Senritsu now that he's got the jinchuuriki tied to him._ It was true; the Snake had planned on killing the nukenin known as the 'Lightning Strike' ever since he had joined Otogakure. The man apparently wasn't swayed by the quasi-immortal's grand vision of a world in his image, but had instead joined his ranks to avoid hunter-nin and the rigors of being a nukenin always on the run. The man was skilled and powerful and had quickly rose in rank to where he was today, but Orochimaru didn't trust him for the plain reason that Sumiyaka Senritsu didn't fear him or worship him as a soon to be 'Ultimate Being' deserved to be treated.

But, the ex-nukenin had proven his worth as a capable warrior and teacher and Orochimaru had planned on having Senritsu experience a rather fatal 'accident' only after he had finished training his elite body guard. Now it would seem that keeping the man alive for as long as the jinchuuriki was of use to him would prove more fruitful in the long run.

The Otokage mentally shrugged at that thought and continued to listen as Senritsu relayed all of Naruto's elemental training exercises and the few jutsu the boy had learned over the course of his two month tutelage.

Orochimaru nodded his head in thought after Senritsu finished his report, "Well, Senritsu-kun, though I would have prefered that you had told me of this sooner, I'm glad you decided to leave it for a time when you could tell me face to face. I'm very pleased to here of Naruto-kun's continued advancement and education as a shinobi. I expect you to continue doing so at such an astounding pace." Orochimaru waved his hand in a rather grand dismissive gesture, "You are both dismissed. I expect to hear more good things from you Naruto-kun."

* * *

After both he and his sensei had exited the doors, Senritsu led Naruto back down to the elite training hallway. Naruto assumed they were going to his private lesson until Senritsu stopped them in front of his bedroom door.

Senritsu knocked on the door lightly and was answered by none other than an annoyed looking Naruto clone who was currently dressed the same way as the original and was holding a rather thick looking book in one hand, a finger used to mark his place.

"What do _you_ want, sensei?"

Senritsu gave a bored shrug and peeked into the room seeing at least a dozen or so Naruto's sitting around the room, each hunched over his own book with a look of utmost concentration; which in Naruto's case was a frown that caused his eyes to squint while sticking out his bottom lip. It was rather… comical. The clone shook his head in annoyance and closed the door in his face.

Senritsu turned back to the original Naruto, "Since we went to go see the Otokage today, how about you take the rest of the evening off, you know, find something to do… or someone for that matter. Becoming an utter bookworm could be detrimental to your development as a young man."

Naruto rolled his eyes and sighed in exasperation, the man seemed to only ever have one thing on his mind, except in the middle of class. "My clones do the reading idiot; I only read a few pages here and there before I go to bed."

"You mean before the massive hemorrhaging in you brain causes you to pass out from an overflow of information."

Naruto shrugged at that truth, "You say potato, I say po-tah-toh…"

Senritsu chuckled at the over used witticism, "Just take the night off, Naruto. Find something creative to do or something. We'll pick up were we left off yesterday, tomorrow. Besides, I'm tired and hungry. I think I'll go get me a burger or something. You wanna come?"

Naruto grimaced and stuck out his tongue in a disgusted manner. He would never understand his sensei's obsession with that greasy western food, especially… burgers.

**Cheese** Burgers.

Naruto felt sick thinking of the evil little circles of greasy meat, ruining the namesake of beef and cheese alike. Nope, give our little blonde some Ramen _ANY_ day.

The brown haired jounin shrugged again and started walking off towards the cafeteria, "Suit yourself…"

Naruto shook his head in dismay. His sensei could be one of the coolest ninjas he had ever met, and then prove that he was bat-shit crazy and had an obsession with burgers and young children… and killing… usually through overdoses of poison or frying them with plasma discharges hotter than the surface of the sun.

Naruto tried to forcibly remove the images from his head of what one his sensei's dreams were probably like when it involved all three… an image of Senritsu standing atop a mountain of pap-wrapped cheese burgers, with one of the greasy bundles held in each hand, laughing maniacally and occasionally spewing beams of lightning from his burger filled mouth at the horde's of young, starving, prepubescent children attempting to filch food from the bottom of his cheese burger mountain.

...not pretty.

Besides, if he wasn't going to train he had something important that he needed to attend to.

Naruto turned from his door after checking in on his clones, who all greeted him with wide grins and thumbs up, and walked with measured steps to the door across from his own. The sign hung on the front said 'KEEP OUT' in bold red letters with '…or die' in smaller black print at the bottom. But, that wasn't going to stop him.

Naruto took a deep breath and hoped that this didn't blow up in his face as he raised his hand to knock.

* * *

Senritsu walked calmly, yet quickly to the underground cafeteria. For an underground café run by an evil madman, it was surprisingly comfortable. White marble floors engraved with the sinuous patterns present on the floors and ceiling and matching long tables of stone with smooth wooden benches running the entire length of each table.

It reminded Senritsu of his cafeteria when he was younger and still an academy student. Complete with really mean, and utterly beautiful, lunch lady that would take your testicles off for touching the meatloaf before it was serving time… well the lunch lady wasn't really beautiful when he was younger… more like horridly horrid, with warty warts, green skin and a cackling voice that would often speak of 'getting your little dog too'…

Well, this lunch lady was beautiful at least… but still very, very mean.

Senritsu waved amiably as he approached the counter where food orders were taken. "Heya Nayari-chan." Yes… hearts were floating above his head. He made sure to include them this time.

Nayari turned around, her long brown hair, almost perfectly straight, swung with her body as she turned to give Senritsu a smile… until she realized it was Senritsu, that is.

"Oh. You." An obvious deadpan. "What are you doing here?" another deadpan and before Senritsu could speak, "Let me guess, a cheese burger?"

"Heh heh… you know me too well Nayari-chan." Senritsu made sure to scratch the back of his head in feigned innocence.

The girl's dark brown eyes narrowed nonetheless. "Senritsu… if you even thi—…!"

Nayari… probably the most feared lunch lady/girl/engine of destruction ever to walk the known world, had just realized that the man she found most annoying in the world was once again filching cheese burgers from behind her. No, he wasn't standing in front of her anymore.

Note… the engine of destruction part.

"Sen-RI-TSUUUUU!"

The green eyed man was surprised to find himself flying through the air, his nose obviously broken and spraying blood in accordance with a very famous geyser that he had once heard of. _Oh yeah, she hit me with the frying pan again… you'd think I'd see that coming when she yells my name like that. _

Still mid-air, Senritsu looked down at his body to see his arms were still full with about a dozen and half of the heavenly— NO, multi-universe transcending divine meat paddies of utter awesomeness— cheese burgers. _Ah good, my life is complete once again._

Several moments later.

"I am no longer complete…"

The utter despair and depression were a palpable aura surrounding the man. Senritsu heard a snort and looked up from his seat to see the beautiful (and terrifying) Nayari standing next to (looming over) him.

"Tch, you'd be able to enjoy them longer if you didn't eat the damn things so fast..." She proceeded to sigh and cross her arms, which happened to pronounce her, uh… assets, a little more than their already natural perkiness.

Senritsu was struck with a bout of pure untainted wisdom, and (wisely) kept his eyes glued to her face.

Senritsu pouted, which normally wouldn't be very effective with half of his face covered, except for the fact that his eyes were probably the most intense green that anyone had ever seen, and he had no trouble expressing his facial expressions with just the ocular orbs. "B-but… they're so _good._"

"Senritsu, they're just—"

"They're **Good**."

Nayari shook her head in slight exasperation. She'd normally try to tell him that he had to leave at least some of the greasy meat for some of the other Oto-nin, but Senritsu knew full well that he was the only living thing in Otogakure that would eat the things.

Senritsu had no problem with this what-so-ever.

The girl took off her white apron, folded it in half and took a seat next to the jounin. They sat like that for a moment before Nayari spoke first, "So… you've been talking about that new student of yours lately. Almost everyday I see you you're either stealing my hard bought hamburgers, or talking about that blonde shrimp."

Senritsu genuinely smiled. He knew Nayari bought the hamburgers only for him, and that it was difficult to keep up with his daily consumption of the unhealthy excuses for beef. It was more than he deserved really, after what he had put her through so long ago… he squashed the memories of a debt that would never be fully-repaid before it could rear its ugly head once again.

"Yeah… 'that blonde shrimp' is surprising me more and more with every passing moment these days."

Nayari smiled for once, a rare expression on such a beautiful, and normally very angry, face. Senritsu felt even more spoiled for the fact that he also knew he was the only who ever got see it up close.

"You know, I was just thinking about how awfully quiet that kid is when I see him. I understand that he was pretty shy when he first came here, but you tell me the gaki is a loud-mouth who just won't shut up sometimes."

Senritsu nodded, "He is. Just… there's times when he starts showing his newly developed mature side. Which I think has to do with how he's read over four hundred and fifty of Orochimaru's books in less than a month's time."

At Nayari's rather stunned expression, Senritsu proceeded to tell her of his and Naruto's meeting with the Otokage and what Naruto had revealed. The girl was no stranger to ninja jargon, having to be a (_the_) lunch lady in a hidden ninja village, so she had no problem understanding the terminology. Plus, even though she didn't talk about it, she seemed to have _some_ sort of shinobi training under her belt...or apron.

After the explanation the brown haired girl could only whistle with raised eyebrows. "Yup… that would probably explain him suddenly maturing a little faster than someone his age should. He's what… only eight? And when I hear him talk he sounds like he's at least a thirteen years old sometimes. A thirteen year old whose done his studying in school and gotten straight A's."

Senritsu chuckled, "He _does_ get straight A's… now. But yes, I think the intense strain he's been putting his mind under for the past month, plus the truly **massive** amounts of information he's been absorbing has contributed to this new, slightly more mature, mentality of his." Senritsu sighed.

Nayari frowned, "What is it Senritsu-kun?" She looked into his iridescent green eyes, something she secretly didn't think she'd ever get tired of anytime soon.

Senritsu would've given her one of his genuine smiles again for adding the –kun suffix; she only did that when she was worried about him or actually in a good mood with him for once. Instead he shrugged and looked forlornly at the multitude of empty cheese burger wrappers sitting on the table in front of him.

"Its nothing to be really worried about right now, but I am worried about the future ramifications that this could have on him. I mean, he's only eight years old and he already thinks on the same level as a teenage Honor Student. Even though his mind is advancing, his body is still that of a young boy, I just hope that the strain on his mind doesn't cause too much of a mental gap between his thinking age and his actual age." Senritsu shook his head, "Not too mention sex, he's probably already read up on that by now, but doesn't really understand the want or need for it quite yet, after all he's a prepubescent, and his body hasn't matured as much as his mentality yet."

Nayari rolled her eyes, "You know, if you weren't actually worried about this kid, I'd probably punch you right now for being the pervert that I know you are."

Senritsu looked over at the lunch girl (/engine of destruction) with wide innocent eyes. "Nayari-chan, I'm hurt." This said with a hand placed delicately over his heart, "You know I only have eyes and thoughts for you."

Nayari almost smiled at that.

"… after all, its not that hard to imagine you as, say, twelve, thirteen years old…"

Almost smiled.

"Sen-RI-TSUUUU!"

There would be talk later the next day amongst the other Oto-nin about the horrifying, high-pitched squeals of pain and despair coming from the cafeteria the night before.

* * *

'Donk. Donk'

_Donk Donk? Doors usually make more of a 'knock knock' sound._

Naurto looked up to his knuckles lightly rapping on the bandaged hat of none other than the object of his current concerns.

"… Tayuya?"

The redhead's eyes were nearly bulging out of their sockets, and Naruto was certain that _this_ time at least she would yell at him… though he really hadn't meant to look away and knock right when she had opened her own door.

But instead of swearing at him, she merely froze, staring at him.

They probably stayed like that for a good ten seconds, before Tayuya tried to jump back and slam the door in his face.

Naruto, however, was having none of it. He shoved his arm through the threshold to stop the door from closing, and had to grit his teeth when the door slammed painfully into his upper arm; eliciting a rather nasty 'popping' noise. He was expecting the door to be slammed against his arm another time (multiple times actually), but after the first there was, curiously, no more.

Naruto frowned to himself, wondering what to do. He could just pull his arm out of its make-shift door jam position and head back to his room and read while waiting for his obviously broken humerus to heal. Or, he could do what he came to do, and figure out what the hell was going on.

With a last sigh, Naruto slowly pushed open the door with his shoulder, wincing slightly as the shock in his arm died down and the pain of broken bones started coursing through it. Another five minutes or so would be all the time he needed for it to fully heal though.

He stepped into the room expecting an attack to come from any direction. But none came… and there was no Tayuya to speak of.

Naruto couldn't help himself, and soon found himself looking around the one room of his classmate's that he had yet to be in. Everything was set up like his room, the bed in the far left corner, the desk to his immediate left, the shelves next to the bed, also to his left, and the drawers on the wall to the right. After that, the similarities stopped. To his immediate right was probably the most feminine thing he could possibly think of Tayuya possessing.

A vanity.

Complete with mirror, half opened drawers full of makeup, skin products, combs and hair-straighteners; plus things he didn't even recognize. It was something so normal, and yet Naruto found himself stunned at the fact that it belonged to none other than the notorious loudmouth known as Tayuya. He felt the need to look through it more… to understand why she had something like this. Did she only have it here for looks? To store worthless junk that everyone thought a girl should have, but yet she found useless? Or, Kami forbid, did she actually use any of this stuff?

Naruto couldn't remember one time in the past two months that he had known Tayuya to wear any sort of make up… and the thought that she would sit in front of this mirror and comb her hair was almost a little too bizarre for him to think about.

After what seemed like an eternity of surrealism, Naruto tore his gaze away from the strange piece of furniture and instead noticed the other, just as strange, things about the room.

On the shelves next to the bed, there were a multitude of books, just like in his room. But almost all of these books he realized were music books. Yet another bizarre discovery on the now very mysterious redhead. Next to the left of the door, on the desk, was a case that Naruto recognized as a flute case. His fingers itched once again to open said case and gaze upon the mysteries of his classmate, but he stubbornly refused to invade _that_ much into the girl's privacy.

When he looked again at the bed, he noticed there were several open scrolls, all of them having to do with summoning contracts (something Naruto found very interesting indeed) and genjutsu (something Naruto found a little interesting, but boring as hell when it came to actually learning jutsu. Fireballs were so much cooler in his opinion). He ignored those though when he saw that the bed sheets were green and covered in red tropical flowers. By now though, Naurto was thoroughly numb to the odd contradictions to the redhead's personality, and so merely shook his head to rid it of distracting thoughts.

Naruto looked around the rest of the room to make sure he didn't miss anything that Tayuya could be hiding behind. After satisfying himself, he walked over to the only other place he knew she could be. He really hoped she wasn't doing anything in the closet that he would regret walking in on, though he was pretty sure that she was in the bathroom on the other side anyway.

Speaking of that, he really hoped she wasn't doing anything in there he would regret walking in on either.

Just to be sure he knocked softly on the closet door. "…Tayuya?"

At first he didn't hear anything, and then there was a muffled… noise. He couldn't tell what it was, but he was pretty sure it was Tayuya and it sounded like it was far enough away to be in the bathroom. He turned the knob to find it unlocked, apparently the redhead really _had_ run away from him, forgetting to lock the doors to stop him. Naruto frowned at that, and after setting his shoulders determinedly, opened the door slowly.

He poked his head in to witness an empty (empty of a certain redhead) walk-in closet that opened up at the other end into the bathroom, much like his did. Though this one was filled with clothes he would _never_ have imagined Tayuya to be wearing.

There were dresses.

… and heels.

Of course, there were other clothes, such as sandals, boots, training robes, and plenty of the plain robes, usually gray, that he had seen her in when they weren't training. There were also obvious ninja tools as well. A rack of shuriken here, kunai hanging from a shelf there, a spool of ninja wire, and a rectangular box of fire resistant wood that Naruto had the sneaking suspicion held explosive tags. But these were things he had expected to see. The red and green dresses, and the one white and one black one, were a bit of a shocker, not to mention the heels. After looking a couple of seconds longer, he realized that most of the dresses obviously belonged to someone of a more… mature physique. One or two could probably fit Tayuya now, but the rest were apparently meant for when she… grew up, a bit more.

Once again, Naruto tried his best to ignore such things. It wasn't like Tayuya was ever going to explain to him of all people why she had such things in her room anyway. Instead Naruto opted to enter the bathroom.

Again he moved slowly, just in case, and when he got to the threshold he kept his eyes averted from the room and rapped his knuckles lightly on the doorway frame. "Tayuya...?" Hearing no answer, Naruto walked in and looked up.

For once, there wasn't much of a surprise. The bathroom was exactly like his, with tub and open shower to the far left, toilet to the right and a large sink/vanity area, complete with mirror, on the far wall from where he stood. Even the entwined black and white snake mosaic was in the middle of the floor, just like everyone else's. Sure, there were obvious hair and skin products on the vanity area that most men wouldn't be caught dead with, but Naruto ignored them; either because he was too young to understand that concept, or having already seen the rest of the room he wasn't really surprised by such a little thing.

Naruto looked around, and again there was no obvious sign of Tayuya. "… Tayu—?"

Again there was a muffled noise, louder this time, and obviously Tayuya's voice. Though, it sounded a little choked and stuffy. The blonde experienced a sense of foreboding more powerful then when he had initially decided to talk to Tayuya, come hell or high water.

Naruto walked slowly to the curtained bathtub, the sound had certainly come from there and with a shaking hesitant hand, slowly drew back the curtains.

Now Naruto had seen a lot from Tayuya in the past two months. He had seen her angry (obviously) and had been witness to her seemingly never ending vocabulary of insults and swear words and the many ways she liked to use them. He had seen her blush on occasion, usually with something he had said or done… he figured it was something stupid he did and she was just too embarrassed to be around him or to yell at him for it. Then, for the past month he had seen a side of her he'd never thought to see, especially after being yelled at constantly the entire month before. She had been lethargic, shy, maybe even embarrassed, and almost… depressed. Now he saw something he had never expected to see from the redhead, and he just as suddenly realized he had never _wanted_ to see.

Tayuya was crying.

She was sitting in the bathtub, her back to the wall and her knees held up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them. Her face was hidden as she was curled up and pressing it into her knees. Though he couldn't see her face, Naruto could easily make out the tear trails that marred her damp cheeks and even her legs as she shook with silent sobs into her knees. The hair that usually hung so haphazardly around her face was wet with tears and plastered to what he could see of her face.

Naruto swallowed audibly and felt a sinking sensation in his stomach once again. _Why is she like this…?_ Naruto couldn't help but feel that he was responsible for this somehow. He was afraid to touch her, he didn't know what she would do, and whether he would either scare her more than she apparently already was, or whether she would lash out at him for invading her personal space. Not mentioning how he was already doing that by forcing himself into her room anyway.

"…Tayuya?" his voice was barely a whisper.

Naruto winced when her entire body nearly jumped as she flinched at his voice. Naruto licked his lips which had gotten dry from his nervousness, and decided he was going to have to go slowly about this than he had originally planned on. Originally he was just going to confront the girl and tell her his feelings on her new attitude. Of course, only a minute ago, he hadn't thought it was going to be this complicated. Now he just had to figure out what to say.

He remained standing, not sure if he should sit, and not finding any convenient seating either way. "Hey… sorry about, you know accidently knocking on your head, and then kind of bursting into your room like that… but I think it was the only way for me to get you to listen."

Tayuya plainly flinched again, though this time Naruto wasn't sure if it was at the sound of his voice, or at what he had to say. _Okay, maybe that wasn't the right way to go about it… I need to try and be little more, uh… delicate I guess._ Though, he really didn't know how he was going to do that. This was as 'delicate' as he was used to being.

"Um… anyway… I suppose you're probably already aware of why I'm here…"

There was silence for a moment and then Tayuya whispered something, but it was so soft Naruto couldn't hear it. "…what?"

'_I said… I'm so-…'_

That time Naruto was sure he could almost make it out, "Tayuya… I'm sorry, but I can barely hear you…"

"IsaidI'msorry!"

Naruto felt his eyes widen at little. He barely understood it, it was so fast, but he _had_ understood it, or part of it at least. "Tayuya…?" Naruto found himself taking an involuntary step forward as he witnessed a wracking sob travel its way through Tayuya's body.

"I-I said… I'm sorry… and I-I know you're here t-to tell me you h-h-ha-hate m-me…" Again another choking sob, this time more audible, "…I g-guess you don't really want to t-t-train with me anymore."

Naruto felt his legs touch the edge of the tub; he hadn't realized he had been slowly edging forward while listening to Tayuya stutter of all things. This was Tayuya after all, the redhead never stuttered ever since he'd known her, and Kidoumaru and Jiroubou had known her longer than him and had attested to the fact that they had never seen the girl upset in any way other than in anger.

Naruto could only grimace at what he heard. He couldn't think of how he could be, or get, upset with her right now, even if she as acting totally unlike herself. She reminded him too much of himself on his birthday with her caving in on herself like that.

That's when realization slowly dawned on him.

_Oh Kami..._

What if Tayuya was more like him than he originally thought? Was her anger a mask, just like his mask of perpetual happiness was? Naruto felt those newly polished gears in his head start to turn at unbelievable speeds as his mind started putting missing pieces to the puzzle.

Though he _was_ a loud-mouth, easily brought to anger and other emotions, and was very energetic and hyperactive… well more like _overly_ hyperactive (he could at least admit that to himself) when he had acted happy not so long ago, that wide bright smile of his had been as fake as a porcelain mask. He had used it to protect himself. He never wanted anyone to see the turmoil and fear he was constantly in, because if they did, it would only make his depression that much more real.

Then the mask started cracking slowly… and then it had shattered. He hadn't realized when that had happened, when his smiles were actually showing his rarely felt happiness to the outside world, but he was sure it was after he had come here to Otogakure. He was sure that at some point, he had started to truly feel trust towards someone else other than himself. Back in Konoha, it was practice for him to pretend like he trusted the people who were nice to him; it made him feel like he really did at least. But they never protected him, or truly stood up for him, so he didn't _really _trust them. Maybe in time, he might of, but not now, and probably not ever.

Either way, sometime after Naruto had arrived in his new life he had found something he had been looking for for so long.

He had found people who acknowledged him.

They looked at him and instead of judging him on what others thought, or instead of seeing him as that 'Demon Brat', they had given him a chance, and within the first day of his being there he had made friends with Kidoumaru and Jiroubou. Not long after that, Sakon and Ukon would soon follow in their own fashion, and in a way even Kimimaro acknowledged him… even if it was just as a challenge.

He wasn't sure if Tayuya had ever acknowledged him… but maybe her constant pestering and badgering him had been her own way. Either way if what he thought was true, then Tayuya's perpetual anger was only a mask that served to hide her from those she felt she couldn't trust.

If that was so… then Tayuya trusted nobody.

Naruto frowned slightly at that, something wasn't adding up… if she trusted no one, why did it feel like she had been acknowledging him when she was focusing all of her anger power on him?

It took a mere five seconds for it to click. It was that obvious.

She _didn't_ trust him, just like she didn't trust anybody else, and so she was constantly angry at him to hide what she was really feeling (though just like he really was a hyperactive person, he felt that Tayuya probably was just as angry as she acted anyways). The point was that she had been focusing **all** of that anger on to one person. Him. For only one reason that he could think of.

She _wanted_ to trust him.

…and he had told her to never talk to him again…

He didn't know what she had been through to be like this, or why. But Uzumaki Naruto had a pretty good idea of what it could've been like. He had grown up for the past eight years in a village that unanimously hated his guts for reasons he had yet to learn… he had at least three people who had treated him kindly. Those few people had been his lifelines to his sanity, even if he hadn't truly trusted them all the way. Did Tayuya even _have_ anyone like that?

He didn't know why or even noticed when, but Naruto found himself crawling into the tub and sitting next to the redhead, who still had her face hidden from him, though she had stopped sobbing and was now as tense as a steel cable. She must have gotten nervous at his prolonged silence and had feared what he might say.

The tub wasn't really that big, so Naruto found himself sitting the same way Tayuya was with his back against the wall and less than an inch of space between his left elbow and her right. If anything Naruto could tell she had tensed even more at his sitting down next to her.

Naruto sat there in silence for a moment then took a deep breath and began to talk.

"… before I cam here to Otogakure, I don't think I had ever known happiness outside of a bowel of ramen. My entire life I grew up with people hating me." Naruto breathed, he had _no_ idea what he was doing, only that it felt right for some reason. "My earliest memories were of the orphanage. There were too many of us to tell the truth. You see, I'm from Konohagakure, and I was just one of many orphans from the attack of the Kyuubi no Kitsune eight years ago. I guess because of all the ninja and civilians that died that night, there were a lot of kids who were left without a family… I guess I was lucky enough to at least know my last name. But, even though there were just too many kids, the nurses and caretakers always found time for them. Whether it was a room packed full for story time, group baths that could last for hours or making sure every child was tucked in and kissed goodnight, they found time for everyone… except me."

Naruto could see out of the corner of his eye that Tayuya had finally raised her head off her knees and was apparently looking at him. He wanted to look at her too, to see the expression on her face, but he didn't dare startle her back into her previous sobbing state. Instead, he continued.

"During story time I was forced to stay in my 'room'… same for bath time, play time or any other time really. I was thrown into a tub of cold water to wash myself for about three minutes before they pulled me out and put me back into the cellar… yeah, that was my room, the cellar. The only time I got to feel the outside air was when I snuck out… or when they kicked me out. Finally, when I turned five, Ojii-san, that's what I called the Sandaime, though I didn't realize who he really was at the time, took me out of the orphanage and gave me my own place to stay. To say the least he could only find one place of a dump who would even rent their smallest apartment to me. I received a monthly stipend that helped me pay for my room and board, and any food that I needed. That was the extent of Ojii-san's kindness, he was just too busy all the time for me to see him more than once every two months or so."

Again Naruto resisted the urge to look over at Tayuya, though the silence she was exuding was almost heavy enough to feel. "But I never could get food you see… not the normal way of shopping. I had to order in through catalogue, and the only food I really liked that I could order for cheap was ramen. It practically became the staple of my diet… even though now Senritsu-sensei forces me to eat veggies and crap" The last part was said as a barely audible whisper, "Same went for shopping for clothes, or anything else. The store owners would either kick me out, say they weren't selling, or actually sell one of their crappiest pieces of merchandise to me at about three times the normal price of a product that was still in good condition… I still paid anyways since that happened so rarely."

"I remember that it was in the orphanage that I started smiling. Every time they yelled at me, chased me, cursed me, or looked at me with those… cold eyes, I remember smiling and laughing… it was all that I could do to pretend that everything was okay." Naruto could suddenly feel Tayuya's body weight had shifted so she was leaning slightly towards him, even though she avoided touching, Naruto could tell that he apparently at least had her undivided attention… which made him feel relieved for some reason. "I decided I wanted to be a ninja since they were the most highly respected people in the village. I wanted that, I wanted that respect, that recognition. I wanted that _acknowledgmen_t, I wanted that… love." Naruto felt his voice unwillingly crack at that, _he_ hadn't even realized that's what he had been wanting so bad for so long; and he only felt surprise that it would come out finally when talking about it to someone.

He shook his head sadly at those memories, "I still want to be a ninja now because I realize its what I'm good at, and I love being one, but back then it was my only hope for salvation. 'Cause, it wasn't just the store owners, or my landlord or the orphanage… other than the old man and couple of people who ran a ramen stand, _everyone_ that I knew of and _everyone_ that saw me… hated me. I was the…" Naruto visibly shuddered, "… the 'Demon Brat' to everyone who thought to even speak to me."

At Tayuya's sudden gasp Naruto felt himself finally turning to face her. There was such a look of shock on her face that he didn't know what to say or do at first, not to mention that there were definitely still tears trickling their way down her cheeks.

She opened her mouth as if to say something, but no sound came out. He couldn't blame her; he had just told her what he hadn't even told any of their other classmates, not even Kidoumaru or Jiroubou yet. But before she could find her voice he pressed on with what he had to say.

"I haven't told anybody that yet… but I felt you should know for some reason." Naruto shifted his body so he was fully facing her, seeing that she didn't flinch or turn away gave him a bit more confidence in what he was about to say.

"I don't hate you Tayuya."

Tayuya started to cry anew as fresh tear began to spill from her eyes, making her sight blurry, but she didn't turn away.

"I don't think I could hate someone who seems to be so much like me."

Tayuya felt her self choke as sobs began to issue their way forth from her chest. But still she didn't turn away from those cerulean eyes.

Naruto didn't stop himself; he was going to be blunt about this, delicacy thrown out the window. It felt… _right_ somehow_. _"… and I'm sorry Tayuya… I'm sorry I didn't realize what you were doing before. I really thought you hated me, just like everyone else… I didn't bother to realize that you didn't look at me with those cold eyes that I was so used to. I'm sorry… and I hope you can forgive me for that. If I had just known, I probably would've done this sooner, even if it was just to tell you to wait until I was ready."

Naruto stopped now, hoping against hope that he was indeed right in his assumptions.

Tayuya was openly sobbing now, and Naruto was beginning to get a bit worried when she turned to push her face back into her knees again. She stayed like that for a few moments and Naruto was about to apologize again for saying something so stupid when her voice stopped him.

"I-its okay baka… it's not y-your fault. So s-stop saying you're sorry…"

Tayuya couldn't tell what was going on inside of her. She hadn't been able to bring herself to apologize to him, or even to _look_ him in the eye ever since he had spoken to her a month ago and she had assumed he hated her. But now she could only say she felt… shock. Shock at what he had told her… how much it was… _Oh Kami. If I had only realized sooner…_ But she was also very aware that she felt the wondrous feelings of relief.

He didn't hate her.

She gasped as she felt something warm encircle her, and looked up to find Naruto sitting close enough that they were shoulder to shoulder and that he had his arms around her.

Naruto didn't know what the hell he was doing, other than he found he himself shifting closer and _hugging_ the redhead sitting next to him. He just felt the need to do so after hearing her call him 'stupid' of all things. "Sure… I'll stop saying I'm sorry when you say you forgive me."

Tayuya found herself doing something she had never thought she'd do in her life. She felt her arms circle around his waist and squeeze his warmth closer. He gave off a lot of body heat for some reason and even though she was two years older than him, he was just as tall as her, and probably a little heavier. These thoughts absently ran through her head as she focused on the fact that she was hugging someone else, and more importantly they were _hugging_ _her_.

"I forgive you, you i-idiot. So stop with the s-sorrys already." She could tell she was getting his shirt wet with her tears, but he didn't pull away so she didn't say anything about it, and… was she smiling!

Yeah… she was.

They sat like that, hugging each other in her bathtub for what seemed like hours until Naruto finally pulled himself away from her. Tayuya felt a little confused at the massive ball of disappointment suddenly appearing in her chest at not having the blonde's arms around her, put pushed it down. She was _not_ going to start asking for hugs from the little loudmouth.

She suddenly felt warm and content at realizing her original mindset was returning… if a bit slowly, or maybe it was the after affects of having a true heart-felt hug. Maybe she'd have to try this hugging thing out more later on… she'd just have to figure out how to do it without letting on how desperately she wanted them. She felt surprised that she wanted to do something she had never really done before and almost found herself moving to hug Naruto again before stopping herself.

Naruto was smiling at her though, and she could only genuinely smile back as she tried to get rid of the annoying tears with the palms of her hands. _Do these things ever stop…?_

"So… yeah, it's late, and I think I should probably get to my room and get some shut eye. We still got class and training tomorrow, yeah?"

Tayuya nodded, "Yeah we—…"

He was hugging her again. She was too shocked to say anything from the sudden arms around her shoulders and them squeezing her gently yet firmly into a warm chest… though she wasn't too shocked to note that her own arms had automatically encircled his waist again to squeeze back.

He pulled away again after a few moments, and _again_ she felt that damn disappointment.

"We're good, right Tayuya?"

Tayuya nodded and smiled tremulously… the damn tears were **still **falling!

"Yeah… j-just don't expect me to start going all easy on you or something… idiot."

Naruto laughed as he stood up to help her out of the tub. It was a great laugh. His eyes were squinted, but she could see his cerulean eyes sparkle beneath his eyelids, his mouth was open showing his white teeth a little, and there was a slight blush on his cheeks from the rush of emotion. The sound was deeper than his actual voice, coming from the depths of his belly. It was a real laugh… a happy laugh. And it was the first time Tayuya had heard it. The fact that she knew she was the one making him laugh like this made her feel warm inside…

… even _if_ he was laughing at _her_.

So she slapped up the back of his head… not hard though; which only made him laugh more, and in turn made her smile wider as they walked back into her main bedroom, though she didn't let him see it. She would have to threaten him later not to tell anyone about the stuff in her room she also realized.

Maybe… just maybe…she had finally found the person she had been looking for.

She hugged _him_ this time as they said goodnight at her door.

… _just maybe…_

* * *

**A/N (01/12/2011): **Alright, all four chapters have finally been edited and revised. Now, the fifth chapter will be posted by the end of the week. Its already more than 50% done. Woot. Hope you guys like the edits I made, and I hope Chapter 5 is up to snuff.

The title of this chapter, Chishiki wa Chikara Nari 知識は力なり is a common Japanese (and English) proverb, meaning "Knowledge is Power."

_Souma no Kou_ (Attack of the Twin Demons): This is the name of Sakon's and Ukon's Kekkei Genkai that allows them to merge together and multiply their strength. Though their clan is powerful, its rather small if compared to the major clans of Konoha, so its rare to see the possessors of the Souma no Kou out of their homeland.

_Fuuton: Daitoppa_ (Wind Release: Great Breakthrough) C-Rank, this jutsu is an Offensive short to mid range jutsu which fires a cone of wind from the user's hands. The more chakra used in the technique, the more powerful and cutting the winds are, and it can be sustained for as long as the user has chakra.

_Katon: Housenka no Jutsu_ (Fire Release: Pheonix Sage Fire Technique) C-rank just like the Goukakyuu no Jutsu, the Housenka doesn't have as much power behind it, but it makes up for that for its rapid-fire capability and serves a strategic purpose in either distraction or forcing your opponent in a disadvantageous postion.


End file.
